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Board authorizes easements and design contract for Newtown Creek trail and bridge project
Summary
Supervisors authorized the chair April 23 to execute three property easements and a design contract for the Newtown Creek trail and bridge; Mike Sellers said the project has a $1 million Commonwealth grant and the design contract uses approximately $104,000 of that grant.
The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors on April 23 authorized the chair to execute three property easements and a design contract advancing the Newtown Creek trail and bridge project, a multi‑year pedestrian connectivity effort funded in part by a state grant, a project representative said.
Mike Sellers of the Newtown Creek Coalition told the board the Commonwealth awarded a $1 million grant for the project in late November 2024 and that project partners have since secured the necessary easements from three property owners and obtained proposals for a design engineer. “This is a huge step in the project itself,” Sellers said, noting that the design contract is within the grant budget and that private landowners — Clivedon Estates Homeowners Association, Sycamore Street Associates and DLCP LLC — had agreed to provide easements.
Sellers and staff clarified that while historical bridge foundations dating to 1898 exist on the site, structural concerns mean the foundations likely cannot support a new bridge; the foundations will be highlighted as historic remnants but not reused structurally. The design budget discussed at the meeting was about $104,000, covered by the $1 million grant; staff noted a roughly $14,000 difference above a 10% allowable threshold for engineering services would be covered from other identified sources.
Board members asked about aesthetic details in early concept drawings (lighting, use of antique or ornamental poles, and bridge appearance) and whether sidewalks on adjoining borough property would be built concurrently; project partners said final design and additional grant applications will address those details and that the borough is pursuing parallel funding.
The motion to authorize execution of the easements and enter the design contract passed 5–0. Sellers said the project will move to final design phases and noted continued coordination with township staff and property owners will be required.
Next steps: finalize easement documents, execute the design contract, complete design work and return to the board for final design approval and any required permits or additional funding requests.
