Belleville Bridge ‘Functionally Obsolete,’ Repair Work Coming

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Prepare for about six months of detours near the 76-year-old Mill Street Bridge in Belleville.

Reconstruction of the Mill Street Bridge in Belleville - which has been rated “functionally obsolete” - will begin on Thursday, Feb. 15 and will last about six months, Essex County officials stated this week.

During construction, the road will be closed. Vehicular traffic will be detoured around the area and a temporary pedestrian bridge will be installed for pedestrian use, officials said.

According to Essex County:

“The bridge is located near the intersection of Mill Street and Montgomery Street. Eastbound traffic on Mill Street coming from Belleville Avenue will be detoured to the right onto Montgomery Street, make a left on Berkeley Avenue, make a left on Newark Avenue, make a left onto Harrison Street before turning right on Mill Street. Westbound traffic from Franklin Avenue will be detoured by making a left onto Harrison Street and following the above route in reverse. All driveways to area residences and businesses will remain open.”

The concrete and steel structure crossing the Second River was constructed in 1942. In the latest inspection report, the bridge was described as “functionally obsolete” because its dimensions are too small to meet current design standards, officials said.

• See related article: NJ Has 596 Structurally Deficient Bridges, Report Says

Essex County officials said that the new bridge will be constructed with steel stringers and a reinforced concrete deck, sidewalks and parapets. To meet current design standards, the roadway will be widened so that the travel lanes in both directions are 16 feet wide.

Area Engineering, Inc. from Hopewell was awarded a $235,000 contract to design the new bridge. Sparwick Contracting Inc. from Lafayette was awarded a publicly bid contract for $633,092 to perform the construction work. Funding was gained from the NJ Department of Transportation’s Local Bridges Future Needs Grant Program.

The bridge is scheduled to be reopened by July 1, officials said.

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