Wrightstown could erect barriers as Cedar Lane crumbles

Officials say a couple of proposed improvement projects in Wrightstown have encountered snags.

The Wrightstown Board of Supervisors has been looking to fix Cedar Lane, a roadway that has been jeopardized by decades of erosion that was worsened by heavy mid-summer rain runoff. Stream bank and road edge deterioration are among the issues.

The township needs easements from property owners to complete the necessary upgrades, officials said. A number of residents have not signed off on the easements which, if inked, would clear the way for construction to commence and provide a permissible framework for longer-term maintenance of the improvements made.

“The township has attempted to get permanent easements in order to move forward with the full project and met with residents as a whole and individually to address concerns some have,” said Supervisor Chairman Chester Pogonowski. “At this point, emergency repairs are needed, and the township has tried to work with the remaining property owners to get a ‘temporary easement’ to complete a portion of the project to stabilize the road edge. As of Sept. 18, we are still unable to get the needed easements.”

Should that remain the case, the township could take steps to mitigate hazards over the winter months. This could include erecting barriers on Cedar Lane, something that could restrict traffic to one lane in at least some areas of the road.

“Currently, the township engineer is developing a plan for installing the barrier and only allowing one-way traffic,” Pogonowski said. “At the present time, it is uncertain if we will need to make the whole of Cedar Lane one-way or if we’ll be able to maintain two-way traffic up to the restricted roadway.”

Pogonowski said that, originally, the township had planned to have the Cedar Lane project completed by now.

“At this point, we are hopeful we can get the repairs done during the 2024 construction season prior to the September school start next year,” he stated.

Wrightstown officials are also keen to make repairs to the Octagonal Schoolhouse, a historic landmark in Wrightstown that was built in the early 1800s. It’s said to be the only remaining octagonal-shaped school in Bucks County.

Still, complications in the bid process — which aims to secure a contractor for the work — have come into play. A key complicating factor relates to warranties offered for the upgrades to the roof, for instance. The township is working to iron things out and could take the step of rejecting all current bids and rebidding the project.

“While it was hoped to have the roof replaced this fall, the bid packages were written in a way that all work needed to be completed by April,” Pogonowski said. “Rebidding the project does not impact this project timeline.”

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