Bridge repair coupled with stream restoration in Warwick/Orange county

[Catskill Mountain Man]

Hey guys

I'm noticing something interesting happening in regards to bridge repair and replacement. Well at least in my town.

Irene washed away an important bridge on Cascade Rd that crosses the Long House Creek. I've been keeping my eye on it as it got replaced. FEMA put a small steel quick fix bridge but the new official bridge is done now.

The section of stream looks BEAUTIFUL. They put large boulders about 70 feet up and down stream making plunge pools and a nice looking pool down stream. I know where I'm fishing opening weekend!

Also I've noticed a few other similar incidents where replacing a bridge includes stream improvement, even on my doublekill! It's very exciting to see. I see cobble and gravel where before was sand or mud.

Rusty, is this a new thing? Is this something we're turning toward to help fix streams? Is there a mentality of "Well if were here now with an excavator, might as well help the stream a little too."

It's also happening around the county but not as much as my town.

Trout fishing here might be somewhat of a draw in the following decades. Especially with all of the apple pickers every fall.

If they could somehow fix the Moodna Watershed like this (with it's 1000's of culverts) I'd be a happy man.

Let me know if you guys want pictures. I'll take a bunch. Some really nice water is being created around here!

 

[Rusty Spinner]

I can't say that I've noticed it much here in NJ. But we have plans to repair the Musky from the Point Mountain Road bridge downstream almost a mile. And that bridge is being replaced although the two projects aren't related. Lots of older bridges were under-designed to handle flood events. Typically, the water comes out of the dowstream side of a narrow bridge much like shot from a shotgun blast and widens the river below it. At Point Mountain, it has not only widened the river but created an island and a split thalweg/channel.

I can't speak to NY's rules, but NJ makes sure any contractor touches the stream/river as little as possible when repairing or replacing a bridge, so I don't see us doing much in that area anytime soon. NY follows US Army Corps permits whereas we follow NJ DEP permits in this state which are tougher than the feds are. But good to hear and I know the bridge you are speaking of having grown up in the next town over from you (West Milford, NJ). Going to drag our teenager up to the drive-in this spring so she can experience it once in her young life before that too is gone. I had lots of great memories in your town growing up.

 

[Catskill Mountain Man]

I had lots of great memories in your town growing up.

Then it's our town. It really is a great place with wonderful people.

 

[PinelandsGillie]

I saw that they are doing something to the parkway bridge over the manasquan. Wish they did something like that, even though its not really a trout stream

 

[Catskill Mountain Man]

I saw that they are doing something to the parkway bridge over the manasquan. Wish they did something like that, even though its not really a trout stream

Talk with the people around you. Spread that mentality and you never know.

 

[PinelandsGillie]

yeh I need to make it out to some trout unlimited meetings, I just joined. American rivers seems like a pretty cool organization too

 

[Catskill Mountain Man]

I can't say that I've noticed it much here in NJ. But we have plans to repair the Musky from the Point Mountain Road bridge downstream almost a mile. And that bridge is being replaced although the two projects aren't related. Lots of older bridges were under-designed to handle flood events. Typically, the water comes out of the dowstream side of a narrow bridge much like shot from a shotgun blast and widens the river below it. At Point Mountain, it has not only widened the river but created an island and a split thalweg/channel.

I can't speak to NY's rules, but NJ makes sure any contractor touches the stream/river as little as possible when repairing or replacing a bridge, so I don't see us doing much in that area anytime soon. NY follows US Army Corps permits whereas we follow NJ DEP permits in this state which are tougher than the feds are. But good to hear and I know the bridge you are speaking of having grown up in the next town over from you (West Milford, NJ). Going to drag our teenager up to the drive-in this spring so she can experience it once in her young life before that too is gone. I had lots of great memories in your town growing up.

Maybe this "kill two birds with one stone" approach should be something that's looked into. If the excavator is there, then why not, right? Saves and creates money down the line and helps the stream in a small way. A death by 1000 cuts can be helped by 1000 band-aids, no?

I mean if I went over the same bridge 5 years ago I'd shug at the water. Now it looks like it was made for fly fishing. It's reminiscent, in places, of Fir brook on the Willowemoc..