Locust Avenue Bridge Replacement In Bloomfield Hits The Finish Line

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — An effort to “modernize” and replace a deteriorating bridge in Bloomfield has hit the finish line, county officials said Thursday.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. trumpeted the news on social media.

“This morning we announced that the project to replace the Locust Avenue Bridge in Bloomfield with a new structure has been completed,” DiVincenzo reported. “The bridge modernization was included in a larger project to replace four culverts and bridges throughout Essex County. This is an ongoing initiative to modernize infrastructure and enhance safety for pedestrians and motorists.”

County officials previously offered the following information about the Locust Avenue Bridge:

“The two-lane bridge crosses over Lloyd Brook and was originally built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1975. The old bridge was in a deteriorating condition and exhibited substantial rust. The 30-foot-wide bridge will be replaced with a similarly constructed structure.”

Commissioner Vice President Carlos Pomares, who is from Bloomfield, said the new bridge is expected to "make an impact on the community."

Bloomfield Mayor Mike Venezia, Councilman Rich Rockwell and Essex County Commissioner Patricia Sebold also cheered Thursday's news, with Venezia calling these types of infrastructure projects "incredibly important to the vitality of our community."

Other replacement projects were slated at the following locations:

• Marion Avenue Culvert in Millburn
• Mitchell Street Culvert in Orange
• Lakeside Avenue Bridge in West Orange

The Locust Avenue Bridge, Mitchell Street Culvert, Marion Avenue Culvert and Freeman Street Culvert were packaged together in the same project. French and Parrello was awarded a professional services contract to design the improvements to the four culverts and provide construction inspection services on the project. A publicly bid contract for $2,878,204 was awarded to Grade Construction from Paterson to replace the four culverts. The culvert improvements were funded with a grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation Local Aid Program, county officials said.

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