Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge in San Bernardino will once again connect communities after 5-year closure and rebuild
The bridge was originally built in 1934 and shut down in 2020 after it was deemed structurally unsound. It was demolished, and the two-year rebuild started in 2023. While it's a quarter mile long, the detour to bypass it can be more than three miles long.
"For the last five years, there has not been a point of access to get from one side of the westside of San Bernardino to the other. It's an absolutely critical project," Jeff Kraus, City of San Bernardino, said.
Kraus said the impacts of the closure affected nearly everyone, as before its closure, about 60,000 vehicles crossed the bridge daily. "It was a life-link for businesses to reach their customers on the other side of the bridge."
The Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge spans 22 rail lines, 20 for BNSF, one for Metrolink, and one for Amtrak. Because of the train tracks beneath, the bridge needed hefty reinforcement. Its construction entailed 53 steel beams – nine of which were 182-feet long, each weighing 125 tons, making them the longest precast girders made for a bridge in the state.
"The project has been challenging as the construction had to take place without disrupting the rail yard," the City of San Bernardino wrote on its online homepage.
The new bridge features wider lanes, bike lanes, sidewalks, a center median and seismic safety upgrades -- and the city is throwing a party to celebrate.
On Saturday, Aug. 23, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the corner of 2nd Street and Mt. Vernon Avenue, there will be a ribbon-cutting, a chance to walk the bridge, along with a classic car show, food trucks, a local vendor fair, and more.
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