Tinicum Board Chairwoman Eleanor Breslin was joined by Judith Danko, Tinicum Township manager; Supervisor John Cole; township engineer Curt Genner; and Supervisor Mike Kauffman to formally kick off the long-anticipated Headquarters Road bridge project on Monday.
Triste Longcor and photo by Cindi Gasparre
Saga’s end “finally in sight” as Headquarters Road bridge project begins
- Andy Holtzman
- Wednesday, October 29, 2025 12:06 pm
The seemingly endless struggle to reopen the historic Headquarters Road Bridge reached a milestone moment Monday, as the Tinicum Township Board of Supervisors donned hardhats onsite to officially break ground on the long-awaited project.
The ceremony marked the beginning of the bridge construction phase to restore the vital rural thoroughfare, a significant step forward that promises to heal a years-long “festering wound” across the Bucks County community.
Said board chairwoman Eleanor Breslin at the groundbreaking, “Fourteen years is far too long for any community to manage without a bridge and a proper thoroughfare. I completely understand the many residents who will only believe it when they see it.”
The bridge, which spans Tinicum Creek, has been closed since 2011, triggering a toxic decade-plus journey of frustration, legal skirmishes and political gridlock. What began as a question of deferred maintenance by PennDOT, the bridge’s former owner, evolved into a high-stakes battle over historical preservation, local control and the future character of this proudly rural township. At the heart of the conflict was the community’s resolve to save the historic structure through rehabilitation, clashing with PennDOT’s initial preference for a modern, possibly wider, replacement.
The journey to the groundbreaking was anything but straightforward.
The township’s effort was characterized by a push to reclaim ownership from the state, a process complicated by continuous and unpredictable reversals in PennDOT’s position regarding the necessary turnback agreement. Simultaneously, the community wrestled with a proposal from the Woodtiger Fund, a private grantmaking foundation based in Erwinna with substantial financial assets to privately finance the entire rehabilitation and maintenance. The foundation’s generous commitment is what allowed Tinicum Township to take ownership of the bridge from PennDOT and to pursue an historical bridge restoration instead of an all-out replacement.
While the fund has pledged to cover all soft and hard costs of the historically appropriate rehabilitation project, including the costs for planning, permits, improvements and an endowment for future maintenance, this offer caused much debate and a deep public divide between relief and mistrust over the long-term implications of private funding.
Furthermore, the project was repeatedly threatened by litigation over ownership and access easements, forcing the township to ultimately invoke eminent domain to keep the timeline on track.
Even after successfully reclaiming the bridge and finalizing the contract with Loftus Construction Inc., the township faced unexpected setbacks.
In early 2025, the carefully crafted, historically sensitive restoration plan was delayed by unexpected permitting hurdles from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The board of supervisors, including Vice Chair John Cole, publicly expressed astonishment and dismay at the DEP’s hesitancy, given the plan’s alignment with Secretary of Interior’s standards and the backing of multiple preservation agencies.
Relentless community pressure, advocacy and the tenacity of Tinicum’s board finally culminated in this month’s groundbreaking.
The township’s decision to take control and pursue historic rehabilitation ensures that the Headquarters Road bridge will return not as an all-new structure, but as a faithful restoration of a piece of Bucks County history.
The official start of construction signifies more than just a renewed traffic pattern; it is a victory for community resolve and historic preservation. After so many years of uncertainty, Tinicum Township can now look forward to the promise of a connected, functional and historically preserved roadway for residents and critical emergency services.
Breslin concluded, “This project could take up to 12 months from our groundbreaking date, and I’d say we’ve heard a major collective sigh of relief in Tinicum because the end of this saga is finally in sight.”
These photos are from an article in the Bucks County Herald.
Despite legal threats, Tinicum awards Headquarters Road bridge contract
- Andy Holtzman
- Wednesday, August 13, 2025 12:09 pm
