 Posted: Sat, Oct 27 2012, 10:12 am EDT Post subject: Letter from Mayor David Cook |
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| Letter from Mayor David Cook
Dear Residents, Due to the possible storm conditions that are predicted to arrive by Monday, the idea to respond to the possible flooding of Brainerd Lake was to remove the spillway (dam) to allow flood waters to pass earlier underneath the bridge. I asked the Cranbury Township Engineer to take this idea to both the Middlesex County Engineering Dept. as well as the Department of Environmental Protection DEP. After close investigation of the idea and taking into consideration the current state of the Cranbury bridge, it was decided not to go ahead with the demolition of the spillway. The reasons are as follows: 1. That due to the current weakness of the bridge and dam, the process of demolition to the spillway and flood conditions may be too much for the bridge to withstand. 2. The weights of the heavy equipment (track ho) to do the demolition as well as the hard vibration from the Jack hammering could worsen the already un-optimal condition of the bridge. That condition being the seepage of water through the bridge and its foundation. This condition is already occurring. This is why the lake level has been as low as it has been for the last few months. 3. It is believed that the effect of weight, vibration and flood stage water could create a catastrophic failure of the road way. 4. The DEP would want to see a plan of action in advance of any demolition project before we could begin the project. as well as any necessary permitting. I understand that this is a disappointing result and somewhat counter intuitive since we plan on replacing the spillway in the near future. However, the larger issue remains that the possible roadway failure must be avoided due to the aggregate effect of losing the bridge and dam as well as a main artery for Cranbury residents and traffic. Emergency services including Police, Fire Department and Rescue Squad are under alert and taking pre-emptive action in advance of the storm. Having experienced flooding myself, I suggest that residents take precautions for their households as well. Thank you David Cook Mayor http://www.cranburytownship.org/sandy/possible_storm_condition.html |
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