Iricks Causeway Road

[stiltzkin]

I was checking out the new Whispering Pines trails in Tabernacle yesterday. It's nice back there, there are some large cedars. On the way out I took a shortcut and walked Iricks Causeway back to the parking lot. The road had irregular chunks of crushed asphalt in it, which was not great to walk on. The state (presumably) has it blocked with a locked gate right at the entrance here. There are "BRIDGE OUT" signs lying in the grass.

I can see that the bridge over Friendship Creek has been out since at least 2021. Blocking off the whole road up to that point is unfortunate, especially if there are no plans to repair the bridge.

Is this destined to become yet another permanently impassable road?

 

[Teegate]

I was checking out the new Whispering Pines trails in Tabernacle yesterday. It's nice back there, there are some large cedars. On the way out I took a shortcut and walked Iricks Causeway back to the parking lot. The road had irregular chunks of crushed asphalt in it, which was not great to walk on. The state (presumably) has it blocked with a locked gate right at the entrance here. There are "BRIDGE OUT" signs lying in the grass.

I can see that the bridge over Friendship Creek has been out since at least 2021. Blocking off the whole road up to that point is unfortunate, especially if there are no plans to repair the bridge.

Is this destined to become yet another permanently impassable road?

Yes. They will not be allowing vehicular traffic. I suspect all properties not connected to Wharton itself will be like that from now on. One of the reasons they may also have it blocked is that near the bridge that is closed there are other owners who don't want vehicular traffic. One of the private landowners land actually has a corner on the opposite side of the road. So they blocked the road and the state made them remove it. But they still kept the road closed by not fixing the bridge. And also the Girl Scout property can be accessed if vehicles were back there. Even though the state has purchased the rights to a large portion of the Girl Scout property they have failed to tell anyone or even open it up for use, most likely to protect the scouts.

 

[Teegate]

That property has some interesting stones on it if you know where to look.

 

[stiltzkin]

Yes. They will not be allowing vehicular traffic. I suspect all properties not connected to Wharton itself will be like that from now on.

Access continues to evaporate. Small bridges like this are a real weak point. As soon as they're damaged or otherwise condemned, there's no incentive to repair or rebuild them. Instead it's easier and cheaper to just close the road that crosses them, especially if people live nearby and don't want people near their property boundaries. And I'm sure organizations like the PPA are well aware of this effect and are happy to have more vehicular access off the table (even though, as you showed in your 2021 post, illegal off-roaders will just come up with their own solutions anyway). It's a really sad state of affairs.

 

[PINEY WARDEN]

I was checking out the new Whispering Pines trails in Tabernacle yesterday. It's nice back there, there are some large cedars. On the way out I took a shortcut and walked Iricks Causeway back to the parking lot. The road had irregular chunks of crushed asphalt in it, which was not great to walk on. The state (presumably) has it blocked with a locked gate right at the entrance here. There are "BRIDGE OUT" signs lying in the grass.

I can see that the bridge over Friendship Creek has been out since at least 2021. Blocking off the whole road up to that point is unfortunate, especially if there are no plans to repair the bridge.

Is this destined to become yet another permanently impassable road?

Irick’s Causeway Road is a Township Road that was Closed by the Township Committee around 1988.

 

[stiltzkin]

Irick’s Causeway Road is a Township Road that was Closed by the Township Committee around 1988.

Is that true? The gate at 532 is definitely new, I don't remember seeing it before. It is not there on Street View from 2019 and earlier. And certainly the road has been used recently, there were tire marks in the sand. Was it "closed" in legal sense only, with no gates erected?

 

[Teegate]

The Park Police go up that road. I was walking there one day and ran into the vehicle parked at the entrance to one of the new trails. The gate was closed so they had entered and closed it behind them.

 

[PINEY WARDEN]

Is that true? The gate at 532 is definitely new, I don't remember seeing it before. It is not there on Street View from 2019 and earlier. And certainly the road has been used recently, there were tire marks in the sand. Was it "closed" in legal sense only, with no gates erected?

It was improved a couple years ago for a fire break. But yes it was officially closed around 1988 but never had a gate on it. There is a township lock on the gate. That property the state purchased was formally owned by the Cutts Family Which are Cranberry Farmers.

 

[woodjin]

Piney Warden is completely correct, and he should know.

 

[Teegate]

That property the state purchased was formally owned by the Cutts Family Which are Cranberry Farmers.

Are they doing anything with the other bogs they acquired nearby? Cutts that is.

 

[PINEY WARDEN]

Are they doing anything with the other bogs they acquired nearby? Cutts that is.

Yes they are renovating the bogs with New Varieties and doing lots of prescribed fire.

 

[Teegate]

I have one stone to find along that property. Tough to get to from state land. Almost a 2 mile walk each way, some of it through a swamp. I was close once but the swamp was really flooded. Might not be as bad this year.