By Chris Barber
Correspondent

Golfers playing the 13th hole at the Kennett Square Country Club will have a construction show to watch next year.

On Feb. 4, the East Marlborough Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to proceed with the planning and engineering to replace the East Locust Lane bridge, which stands beside the end of the golf course at the bottom of the hill.

That's where East Locust Lane intersects North Walnut Street. It is a frequent site of flooding from the Red Clay Creek during severe rainstorms. In recent years, the creek underwent a streambank improvement project organized by the Red Clay Valley Association to deter muddy runoff into the water.

The bridge itself is old and has been deemed failing. Township manager Laurie Prysock said she is uncertain of the age. “It could go back 100 years, but I am fairly certain it was built before 1930,” she said.

She explained that during construction, drivers seeking to travel from Route 82 eastward toward Longwood Gardens will have to access the portion east of North Walnut by a detour, either from Route 926 in the north or Kennett Square from the south. Drivers traveling north or south on Walnut Street will be able to continue through the intersection.

Construction work will begin in 2020. Prysock said she does not know know how long it will take.

At the board meeting, the supervisors confirmed the resolution that approved awarding the engineering studies to their municipal engineers, Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. That company’s work has already included obtaining the $1 million grant for the project from Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. TPD was also approved to continue with hydrologic studies, engineering and drawings at a cost of $144,300, which was part of the grant award. The grant covers all of the project, of which $800,000 is for construction.

The supervisors also approved the replacement of the roof of the township garage, and they gave permission to Walmart to add a temporary outdoor garden display corral, which will be larger than last year's.

The Po-Mar-Lin Fire company is purchasing a new rescue vehicle, and the supervisors gave written approval to forward that information to state authorities.