The City of Summit is announcing the Morris Avenue Bridge will be open to vehicle and pedestrian traffic will on Friday, June 29 at 6PM. The bridge over the Morris & Essex rail line has been closed since August 11, 2015. It was replaced by New Jersey Transit with funding from the State Transportation Trust Fund in a project that was originally estimated to take 18 months to complete.
Summit Mayor Nora Radest will officiate a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the bridge at 5:30PM on Friday, June 29 that will include state and local government officials, and city staff. Members of the public are invited to attend.
“I am extremely pleased to report that the Morris Avenue Bridge will finally open on Friday,” explains Mayor Radest. “The project has seen a number of significant delays and I appreciate the final push by New Jersey Transit to complete work by the end of June. Morris Avenue runs through the heart of Summit and having this section of roadway available again will help ease traffic congestion in a very busy part of town.”
Radest continues: “I realize that many of us have been impacted by the bridge closure for far too long. I appreciate your patience and hope the completion of this project makes you as happy as it does me.”
According to NJ Transit, the construction project included reconstruction of the bridge abutments; replacement of the steel bridge superstructure and concrete bridge deck; widening of the bridge approaches to improve bridge geometry; construction and rehabilitation of the retaining walls, curbs, sidewalks and ADA ramps; installation of the ornamental railings on the bridge and the retaining walls; relocation of the traffic signal pole and the cantilever arm in the Morris Avenue and Kent Place Boulevard intersection; and installation of new traffic signage and striping.