Pond Eddy Bridge

POND EDDY  – The Upper Delaware Scenic Byway organization says plans to build a new bridge across the Upper Delaware to replace the Pond Eddy Bridge risks impeding recreational use of the river.

During the 15 to 24 month construction period, a causeway will be built across the river to allow vehicles and workers to access the construction zone. “We understand that boaters will be required to exit their vessels and portage around the causeway, effectively shutting down this section of the river to the unrestricted access that the public is currently entitled to enjoy on this recreational segment of the National Wild and Scenic River,” UDSB Chairwoman Nadia Rajsz wrote to the National Park Service’s Superintendant Sean McGuinness.

Rajsz is the supervisor in the Town of Lumberland on the New York side of the bridge.

She told the NPS the situation “will negatively impact the local economy when would-be visitors are discouraged from recreating in this part of the river and outfitters’ business is inevitably affected by the construction.” Rajsz also said the NPS should consider “impacts to the river’s ecology and the potential for an increased safety risk from flooding or ice jams that could be exacerbated by the placement of a man-made obstruction in the river’s free-flowing condition.”

Rajsz told McGuinness that since the National Park Service will be responsible for issuing permits for the project, it should “take a hard look at all impacts from this bridge replacement.”