The Mount Vernon Bridge will reopen to traffic on Saturday, Aug. 23, and a community celebration to mark the occasion, San Bernardino officials said.
The event starts at 9:30 a.m. and will feature a ribbon cutting, booths from local businesses, a classic car show, the opportunity to walk the bridge and other activities. Later that afternoon, the bridge will once again be open for traffic.
The bridge replacement project spans over one of the largest rail yards in the region. Originally built in 1934, the bridge connected communities on the west side of San Bernardino for 86 years. Prior to its closure, approximately 60,000 motorists used the bridge daily.
The structurally deficient previous bridge closed to the public in December 2020 and was demolished in April 2021, officials said.
The city of San Bernardino and the California Department of Transportation partnered with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority to rebuild the bridge.
“The project has been challenging as the construction had to take place without disrupting the rail yard,” according to a city statement.
The bridge extends over 22 active rail lines. It crosses the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad mainlines, storage tracks and intermodal yard, as well as tracks used by the regional commuter rail Metrolink and Amtrak.
“The bridge provides the only arterial crossing over the rail lines in the area,” according to the statement.
A total of 53 girders between 90 and 182 feet long completed the bridge’s quarter-mile span. Nine girders are 182 feet, weigh 250,000 pounds each and are the longest precast girders made for a bridge in the state.
