If the Passaic Avenue bridge were a person, a retirement after 121 years on the job would be well deserved.
The busy two-lane span over the Saddle River in Lodi was built in 1903 and finally next month, work will start on a replacement.
Bergen County Commissioners awarded a $3.5 million contract to Marbro, Inc of Long Branch on April 3 to replace the aging bridge, which has been categorized as structurally deficient. Its replacement will be a modern structure with 12 foot wide lanes, shoulders and sidewalks.
The existing bridge is 31.5 feet wide, which varies from curb to curb with one lane of traffic in each direction, however, two vehicles can not pass simultaneously, county engineers said
Of the contract’s cost, $3.2 million is funded with a state Department of Transportation local bridge grant. The remaining $300,000 spent by the county for engineering and design will be reimbursed at the end of the project, officials said.
The bridge is used by 9,800 vehicles a day.
It is considered functionally obsolete because it doesn’t meet modern design standards. It also has weight restrictions for various types of commercial trucks, county engineers said.
The project, scheduled to start construction following a May notice to proceed, will require fully closing Passaic Avenue for roughly a year and detouring traffic, officials said. Existing utilities will be re-supported beneath the new bridge deck, along with the relocation of some aerial facilities.
A history of the bridge on BridgesNYC.com said in October 1913, the Saddle River flooded six and half feet over the bridge. The bridge is in such bad condition, even the metal plaque commemorating its 1903 construction has a chunk broken off.
The county has done a lot of work over the last century to keep the bridge functional, including major repairs in 1939 and 1971 when a concrete bridge deck was replaced with a metal one.
The new bridge will return to a concrete bridge deck and the span’s superstructure will be supported by sturdy “H-pile” supports in the river.
“We are taking proactive measures to address the ongoing challenges faced by Lodi and its residents due to the deficiencies of this particular bridge,” said County Commissioner Tom Sullivan in a release.
“By committing resources to enhancing the Passaic Avenue Bridge, we aim to prioritize the safety of our residents and ensure the resilience of our infrastructure,” he said.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry.
