County Replaces 'Deteriorating, Deficient' Bridges In The Oranges

ORANGES, NJ — Essex County is nearly finished with an effort to replace four culverts and crossings in the region, including bridges in Orange and West Orange, officials recently announced.

The work is taking place at the following locations, according to a statement from the office of Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr.:

Lakeside Avenue Bridge in West Orange (Lakeside Avenue) – A recent inspection report concluded the culvert, originally constructed in 1920, needed to be replaced because its condition was deteriorating. The 36-foot-wide culvert carries two lanes of traffic, with one lane of traffic heading in each direction. The new structure will be a steel stringer and brick masonry jack arch supported on stone masonry abutments and will be similarly designed like the old one. Work started in August and was completed in less than three months.

Mitchell Street Culvert in Orange (Mitchell Street) – The two-lane bridge crosses the East Branch of the Rahway River and was constructed about 1930. This bridge was described as structurally deficient because of the bad condition of the two-lane roadway and substructure. The 30-foot-wide bridge will be replaced with a similarly constructed structure.

Locust Avenue Bridge in Bloomfield (Locust Avenue) – 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.

Marion Avenue Culvert in Millburn (Marion Avenue) – A recent inspection report concluded the culvert, originally constructed in 1962, needed to be replaced because its condition was deteriorating. The 27-foot-wide culvert carries two lanes of traffic, with one lane of traffic heading in each direction. The new structure will be a three-sided culvert similarly designed like the old one. Work stared in July and was completed in September.

“While these improvement projects may not be flashy, they are a very important component of increased safety for pedestrians and motorists within our communities,” Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill said.

According to the county executive’s office:

“The Locust Avenue Bridge, Mitchell Street Culvert and Marion Avenue Culvert were packaged together in the same project, along with the Freeman Street Culvert over Foulerton’s Brook in Roseland. 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 NJ Department of Transportation Local Aid Program.”

County officials added:

“The Lakeside Avenue Culvert was a stand-alone project. Mott MacDonald from Iselin was awarded a professional services contract for $236,000 to design the new culvert. Pennoni Associates Inc. from Newark was awarded a $300,000 contract to perform construction inspection services for the Lakeside Avenue Culvert and the Dougal Place Culvert in West Caldwell projects. A publicly bid contract for $537,218 was awarded to Colonnelli Brothers from Hackensack to perform the construction work. The culvert replacement funded with a grant from the NJ Department of Transportation Local Aid Program.”

Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren joined the county executive at news conferences to announce the projects at the Mitchell Street Culvert in Orange and the Lakeside Avenue Culvert in West Orange. The mayor was joined by Orange Councilwoman Adrienne Wooten.

The project in West Orange also got a thumbs up from Councilman Bill Rutherford.

"It’s good to see the county do such quality work, quickly in West Orange," Rutherford said.

• See related article: $1 Billion Coming To Fix 480 NJ Bridges In 'Poor Condition'

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