Morris County is moving forward with a significant infrastructure project in Mine Hill Township, as work begins Monday, July 27 to replace the aging Frank Street Bridge spanning Shaw’s Creek. The closure takes effect following the Monday morning rush hour, after which Frank Street will be shut down entirely to through traffic for the duration of the project, giving commuters and residents a clear window to plan around before construction gets underway.
Motorists relying on Frank Street will need to follow a signed detour running approximately half a mile, routed through Dickerson Mine Road, Martin Place, Roxbury Drive, and Ward Place. County officials expect the full replacement project to take roughly three months to complete, weather permitting, meaning residents should plan for the detour to remain in place well into the fall.
The decision to replace the existing structure rather than attempt further repairs comes down to genuine structural deterioration uncovered during routine inspection. The current bridge, a two span reinforced concrete oval pipe structure originally built around 1970, has aged considerably over more than five decades of continuous use. Inspectors identified several specific problems during their evaluation, including exposed reinforcing steel, visible movement in one of the reinforced concrete pipe sections, and cracking within a headwall, a combination of issues that made full replacement the most practical long term solution rather than continuing to patch a structure already showing this many distinct signs of wear.
The new bridge will take a meaningfully different structural form than the one it replaces. Rather than the original oval pipe design, the replacement structure will consist of a single cell precast concrete box culvert measuring eight feet wide and five feet, three inches deep. The project also includes new precast wing walls along with guide rail mounted railings, giving the crossing updated safety features alongside its core structural replacement.
Konkus Corporation of Branchburg is carrying out the work under contract with Morris County, with the total project budgeted at $613,704.12. The scope and precision of that contract reflect the kind of careful engineering work required for a bridge replacement of this scale, even for a relatively modest span like Frank Street’s crossing over Shaw’s Creek.
For residents with questions about the closure, the detour route, or the broader project timeline, the Morris County Division of Engineering and Transportation is available directly at 973-285-6750 to address concerns as the work progresses. With construction beginning right after Monday’s morning commute, drivers who regularly use Frank Street should plan their routes accordingly heading into the weeks ahead, relying on the posted detour until the new box culvert structure is fully in place and Frank Street reopens to through traffic later this fall.
