ESSEX COUNTY FREEHOLDER BRENDAN W.

GILL
HALL OF RECORDS 465 DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., BLVD. ROOM 554 NEWARK, NJ 07102 __________
Email: BGILL@FREEHOLDERS.ESSEXCOUNTYNJ.ORG

For Immediate Release Friday, January 04, 2013 Contact -- Office of Freeholder Brendan Gill: (973) 621-4479 Tunde Odubekun: (862) 902-3946

Freeholder Brendan Gill Votes for $975,000 Berkeley Avenue Bridge Replacement
Newark -- Essex County Freeholder Brendan Gill announced today that New Jersey transportation improvement plans are coming to Bloomfield. A resolution to award a contract for engineering design services for the replacement of the Berkeley Avenue Bridge was approved during the Wednesday, October 24 Essex County Freeholder Board meeting. Its exciting to see taxpayer dollars put towards infrastructure improvement projects like this, stated Gill. I am proud to have voted to approve this funding, and look forward to seeing positive results in the coming months. Built in 1922, Berkeley Bridge, in its current state, is structurally deficient and functionally obsolete [] horizontal and vertical sight distance for motorists is substandard, according to a New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority report published in June 2012. To remedy this, Essex County officials proposed to replace the existing bridge with a new two-span bridge. Parsons Brinckerhoff, the firm selected to perform the engineering design services for the project, will work with local officials to address any potential concerns arising from detours and road blocks during construction, including temporary striping on Montgomery Street if needed. Of the project, Freeholder Gill further stated, Im confident in the coordination and planning that Bloomfield, the Essex County Department of Public Works, and the state have done so far. The firm did their due diligence to get this contract, and I think we can all expect positive results from them, with minimal inconvenience along the way. The project is funded by a grant from the Federal Highway Administration through the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authoritys Local Lead Program and the NJ Department of Transportation; the total cost of which is not to exceed $974,442.39.

Brendan Gill represents the municipalities of Montclair, Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, and Nutley on the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders. For more information, visit BrendanWGill.com or essex-countynj.org/freeholders ###