Bucks County Courier Times reports, “They won’t use muskets and grapeshot, but residents on both sides of the Delaware River channeled the Spirit of ’76 [yesterday], saying they will fight plans for a larger bridge near the spot where Gen. George Washington set off to turn the tide of the American Revolution.” The bistate Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) announced in February it is proceeding with evaluation of a proposed replacement of the narrow, 119-year-old Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge. (The span, which locals consider a historic structure, is located adjacent to the place where Washington made his legendary river crossing en route to the Battle of Trenton.) During its meeting yesterday, the DRJTBC board heard from a crowd of area residents who passionately oppose the project based on their belief a modern bridge will “destroy the bucolic setting” of the site. Commissioners responded that a project decision is “years” in the future, and their only immediate aim is to hire an a engineer to consult on a potential replacement.
