San Bernardino bridge project move closer to completion

The rebuilding of the Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge reached a milestone this month when the last of nine steel girders was put into place.

The 182-foot-long structures weigh 250,000 pounds each, and are the longest pre-cast girders ever made for a California bridge, according to a statement on the city’s website.

They were delivered from Northern California on special trucks while accompanied by a California Highway Patrol escort.

Built in 1934, Mt. Vernon Bridge was shut down in 2020 and has been under reconstruction since 2023. The bridge, which spans the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Yard between 3rd and 4th streets, connected the east and west side of San Bernardino before it was closed for safety reasons.

Since it began, the reconstruction has experienced multiple delays because of conflicts with the railroad yard.

The $245 million project is a partnership between San Bernardino, the San Bernardino County Transportation Agency and Caltrans. It is expected to be finished next summer.