Berkeley Avenue Bridge Repair Completed In Bloomfield

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield has seen its second bridge rehabilitated in the space of two months. On May 12, Bloomfield and Essex County officials announced that the reconstruction of the Berkeley Avenue Bridge is complete.

The new structure replaces an existing bridge that was “obsolete and in disrepair,” officials stated.

County officials announced the completion of repairs at the Hoover Avenue Bridge in April.

• See related article: Bloomfield's Hoover Avenue Bridge Mended; Berkeley Bridge Construction Continues

“Closing the Berkeley Avenue Bridge for 15 months was a major inconvenience, but we thank the residents and motorists for their understanding and cooperation,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

“The old structure was in very poor shape and its design was outdated, making it unsafe for both pedestrians and motorists,” DiVincenzo added. “This was an ambitious project because the new structure had to cross the Second River and the Old Morris Canal, but the result is a bridge that offers better sight lines and wider travel lanes.”

According to county officials:

“The original structure that was erected in 1922 was removed and a new two-span continuous steel plate superstructure supported on concrete reinforced piers and abutments. The new bridge, which crosses the Second River and the former Morris Canal, is 108 feet in length and 46 feet wide. This is considerably wider than the original 94-year-old bridge, which was 107 feet in length and just 28 feet wide.”

In addition, a decorative façade was installed to “enhance the aesthetics” of the new bridge, which is in a residential area and next to Wright’s Field, a municipal-owned park. The project also included installing new curbing, sidewalks and driveway aprons to areas affected by the construction, upgrading existing storm drains, and reconstructing the trail along the former Morris Canal which passes below the bridge and installing interpretive signage about the Canal.

All improvements comply with ADA requirements, county officials said.

Work began in February 2016 and took about 15 months to complete. During construction, Berkeley Avenue between Montgomery Street and Newark Avenue was closed, except for local traffic.

Parsons Brinkerhoff from New York City received a $1,243,720 contract to design the new bridge and provide engineering support services. Colonnelli Brothers from Hackensack was awarded a publicly bid contract for $3,597,452 to perform the construction work. KS Engineers from Newark was awarded an $899,195 contract to provide construction inspection services.

The project was funded with a grant from the Federal Highway Administration that was administered through the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

“Bloomfield is very supportive of historic preservation and this project is an example of that,” Councilman Carlos Pomares said. “The new bridge reflects the character of its predecessor and pieces of the old bridge will be used to create railing for a seating area in the park.”

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File photo of the old project survey area via bloomfieldtwpnj.com

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