Federal Transportation Alternatives Set Aside (TASA) Grant Awarded to Northampton County to Restore County Bridge #149

[Northampton County, PA] —Northampton County was awarded a federal Transportation Alternatives Set Aside (TASA) grant for $1.5M in funding to rehabilitate County Bridge #149, located on Cedar Drive in Lehigh Township. This bridge, built in 1826, is one of the most historically significant bridges in Northampton County’s transportation system.

The TASA grant provides funding for projects and activities defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, environmental mitigation, trails that serve a transportation purpose, and safe routes to school projects.​

The bridge is recognized as the oldest bridge still remaining in the County inventory and serves as a rare surviving example of early 19th-century stone masonry engineering. Its unique three-span masonry arch design was built to withstand heavy loads and seasonal flooding long before modern steel and concrete bridges became standard. Since it is currently in poor condition, the TASA grant will allow for it be repaired in a manner consistent with the original design; to remove, repair and reinstall bulging stone masonry spandrel walls, install new guardrails, and add signage and hazard clearance markers.

What makes the structure especially notable is its use of multiple stone arches, a construction method that required extensive skilled craftsmanship and locally quarried stone. Unlike later metal truss or reinforced concrete bridges, masonry arch bridges rely entirely on compression forces to transfer weight through the arches into the abutments. Because of their durability, many stone arch bridges survived for centuries, but relatively few remain intact today—especially multi-span examples like Bridge #149.

The bridge also reflects the agricultural and industrial history of Lehigh Township during the early 1800s. At the time of its construction, reliable crossings were essential for moving farm goods, livestock, and materials between rural communities and nearby market towns. Cedar Drive and surrounding roadways would have been important local transportation routes during Northampton County’s early development.

“The historic masonry of arch bridges like County Bridge #149 are becoming increasingly rare across Pennsylvania and the United States,” said County Executive Tara Zrinski. “This bridge is not only an engineering landmark, but also an important piece of Northampton County’s historic character that we are proud will be preserved.”

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