Tom Muller Spits On County History

Tom Muller demonstrated yesterday that he would gladly sacrifice part of Lehigh County's history to take advantage of any political opportunity. This past year Lehigh County Commissioners decided to spare the historic Reading Road Bridge, after the county already had replaced fourteen other bridges. The Reading Road Bridge was built in 1824, and is the oldest stone arch bridge in the county. In 1980 the bridge was totally rehabilitated, and a pedestrian walkway was added along it's southern side. Both the Hamilton Street and the Union Street bridges are less than half a block away, on either side. The historic stone arch span compliments the adjoining Union Terrace Amphitheater. Earlier this week, Penndot decided to close the bridge. Although nothing has changed about the bridge recently, they arbitrarily decided to downgrade all bridges with a 3 Ton weight limit to a closed status. This closed status also effects Reading Road's younger sister bridge, Schreiber's Bridge, built in 1828. Since Schreibers had been carrying the load for the closed 15th Street Bridge under construction, I'm sure the City of Allentown will challenge Penndot, rather than use the closure as a political prop. Yesterday, Muller repeated, word for word, language used last winter to justify replacing the bridge,  a brick shell filled with rubble, dirt and rocks, is insufficient against the hydraulics of Cedar Creek, of course it has been sufficient for 189 years. In a unguarded moment last year, the county project manager Glenn Solt, told blogger Bernie O'Hare that these old bridges are filled with crap. I don't know about the bridges, but it certainly applies to the politicians seeking to advance themselves at the expense of our history.

Bernie O'Hare also has a post on the bridge, although I find it somewhat misinformed.