Letter to the Editor: Township Officials Must Champion Morris Ave. Bridge Repairs

Township officials have a responsibility for the safety of their residents and property. We acknowledge that this responsibility is shared by its citizens, therefore we should employ a dual-front approach to flood mitigation in Springfield. Springfield Township officials need to recognize that the hazard of flooding has a repetitive history and must be officially acknowledged and addressed. We come before you today with a list of requests that we feel are necessary for the future safety of Springfield.

The Water-Everywhere group obtained a copy of the 1999 report by Killam Associates (February 1999 Feasibility Assessment Memorandum Report for Reconstruction of the NJ Highway Route 82 (Morris Avenue) Bridge), which established that flooding problems, “are aggravated by a hydraulically inadequate bridge waterway opening.”  

More recently the bridge was declared structurally deficient by Transportation for America (T4 America, see Springfield Patch article by John De Bellis October 14, 2011). As a result, our group has focused on replacing the Morris Avenue Bridge.  This is our primary focus because we feel the bridge exacerbates flooding that places the entire community at risk. When Emergency Services departments are stretched beyond capacity, citizens who are not directly affected by the emergency are put in a vulnerable position.

Therefore, we the residents of Springfield who were affected by flooding during Hurricanes Floyd (September 1999) and Irene (August 2011), request the following actions be taken by the Springfield Township Committee:

1. Actively participate in the Mayor’s Council on Rahway River Watershed Flood Control that will coordinate projects to mitigate flooding along the Rahway River in Springfield, Millburn, Union, Cranford, Kenilworth, Winfield and Rahway.
2. Engage our elected officials (Union County Freeholders, NJ State Legislators and United States Legislators) in an effort to address the issues that we believe contribute to Rahway River flooding in Springfield.  Please be aware we feel that no progress has been made since the Killam Associates report of 1999, so it gives the appearance that our elected officials do not share our sense of urgency.  We also feel that mitigation is 10 years behind schedule.  These are our primary concerns:
   1. First and foremost, lobby for replacement of the Morris Avenue Bridge and any other bridge that impedes hydraulic discharge.
   2. Lobby for de-silting of the Rahway River.
   3. Lobby for repair and regularly scheduled maintenance of the dikes along Marion Avenue, Washington Avenue, Riverside Drive, and Laurel Drive in Springfield.
3. Create a working group within the Public Works sub-committee to address flood mitigation.  We were told during a meeting with Mayor Shehady (1/16/2012, 9 AM) that there is no Springfield sub-committee for flooding issues, however, flooding would fall under the realm of the Public Works Sub-Committee (Chaired by Deputy Mayor Fernandez).  The purpose of this working group would be to work toward the accomplishment  of items 2a, 2b, and 2c.  This working group should contain one or more Springfield residents affected by flooding so that we can provide support (i.e., letter writing, e-mail,…) when needed.  

To be clear, we understand that rebuilding the Morris Avenue Bridge is not a job that will be done by the Township of Springfield, but we strongly believe that is the Township Committee’s responsibility as our elected officials to champion this effort.  

It is time for Springfield to gather all of its influence and say that we have had enough of all the property damage and misery.  Please do not let this issue languish for another day.