A brief worship service will be held at the new bridge on Route 519 in Kingwood on Sunday, April 3, 2016. Watch video
KINGWOOD -- A new bridge on Route 519 is set to reopen and members of a church that serves the community will gather Sunday to bless the span.
"Everyone is welcome to celebrate this rebirth of the community," said the Rev. Peter Mantell, pastor for Kingwood United Methodist Church.
Mantell credits his wife Anna with the idea, adding, "the parishioners are all in with that. It's a little bit different, but different is good."
Mantell is inviting people to gather at the church between 8:45 and 9 a.m., then caravan a mile-and-a-half north on Route 519 to the bridge, where an abbreviated worship service will be held.
County officials say contractors have assured them the bridge will be ready by its due date of Friday, April 1. Even if it's not officially open, the service will be held at the span, Mantell said.
"I'm still working on my message," he said Wednesday. "But it will include a brief formal blessing." He intends to bless the bridge, "all who travel over it, and especially all who worked so hard to build it."
Following Sunday's service, people can gather at the church, 275 Route 519, for coffee and refreshments.
The new bridge replaces a bridge that collapsed in June 2014 under a grossly overweight crane. Tony & Sons Construction Co. has been working through the winter, targeting the April 1 opening date. The county has offered incentives for early completion, along with penalties for any delays.
Kingwood United Methodist Church, the first Methodist church in Hunterdon County, is celebrating its bicentennial in October. Mantell serves that church and Frenchtown United Methodist Church. He and his wife are preparing to move into the parsonage in Frenchtown on June 1.
Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find The Hunterdon County Democrat on Facebook.