Photo Gallery: Demolition of Bellmawr’s St. Joachim Rectory

Today, the rectory at St. Joachim (a/k/a Annunciation) was demolished to make way for a new parking area along with new entrances and exits. This is due to the ongoing I-295/I-76/Route 42 Direct Connection interchange project.

At its February 6, 2017 meeting, the Bellmawr Planning Board granted St. Joachim’s application for replacement parking and a new internal traffic circulation pattern. Later this summer, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is expected to install a temporary road on a portion of the property.

Councilman Steve Hagerty and Code Official Jim Burleigh spoke about the parking lot and upcoming work at Council’s February 23, 2017 meeting.

Councilman Hagerty said: “St. Joachim will be starting a parking lot project where they will be adding more spaces, taking down the old rectory, making a new parking area, and new exits and new entrances. At the end of the summer is when the temporary bridge will go into effect and [the removal of] the old bridge. The area is going to be congested.”

Jim Burleigh added: “At Browning Road over by the mausoleums, a temporary steel bridge will be put in. One lane each direction with a pedestrian walkway while they take down and redo the other one.”

Groundbreaking will be in April and they have to do footings and a lot of legwork, he said.