The Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge (MVAB) project is a complex bridge replacement project that spans over one of the largest rail yards in the region. An iconic structure in San Bernardino, the Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge connected communities on the west side of San Bernardino for 86 years, serving as a vital link for residents, visitors, students, and businesses. Given that the bridge was rated as severely deficient, public safety reasons strongly encouraged that the deconstruction effort commences as soon as possible while the design-build team finalized other critical path items toward reconstruction. Accordingly, the bridge closed to the public in December 2020 and disassembly was completed in April 2021.
Following disassembly of the bridge, operators of the rail yard, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad, needed to relocate a building in their yard and perform work to realign some of the rail lines in order to maintain operations during the reconstruction. As a result, the Mt. Vernon project was staged so that bridge work would be suspended during the BNSF operation. The original schedule made some assumptions on indeterminate items like utilities, property acquisition, and other right of way issues. Unfortunately, those areas took longer than anticipated and BNSF was delayed in commencing their work until they were resolved. In April 2023, SBCTA helped to resolve a utility conflict within the rail yard, allowing BNSF to proceed with their work. With that hurdle cleared, BNSF completed their improvements in late-2023.
SBCTA and the project design-build team, Traylor Granite Joint Venture (TGJV), are working diligently to reconstruct the Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge and reconnect the southern and northern sections of West San Bernardino as soon as possible. In October 2023, the team resumed work in the field, including relocating utilities between 2nd Street and 3rd Street to make room for construction of the new bridge. In December 2023, crews began work on the foundation for the south bridge approach and completed building the bridge columns along 3rd Street. In January 2024, crews began working on the foundation for the new portion of the Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge, north of the railyard at Kingman Street and Mt. Vernon Avenue. SBCTA is optimistic that the new bridge will be completed and open to the public in Summer 2025.
In the meantime, SBCTA and Omnitrans have partnered to provide a free bus service to the community. Lastly, SBCTA has partnered with local businesses to create a bilingual business brochure to highlight local businesses in the area. To learn more about the complimentary bus service provided by SBCTA and Omnitrans, and the bilingual business brochure, call 877-55-SBCTA.
Fact Sheets
Contracting Opportunities
For more information about contracting opportunities for the MVAB project, visit the contractor’s project website: tgjvmv.com.
Pedestrian Detour
To support pedestrians, bicyclists, and the disabled, with a convenient detour option while the bridge is closed, SBCTA has partnered with Omnitrans to offer a complimentary bus service. To access the complimentary bus service:
Motorist Detour
The SB Express Lanes on I-10 are now open. Visit SBExpressLanes.com to learn how the new express lanes can save you time on the road. Have questions? Get answers on our Q&A page.
Until the new bridge opens, we encourage the community to shop local and support the businesses that support your community. When you shop local your tax dollars stay local as well, helping to support the local economy and boost tax revenue within the community.
To launch the “shop local” message, SBCTA created a bilingual (English and Spanish) brochure highlighting local businesses north and south of the former bridge. The brochure was recently distributed door-to-door to 7,000 residents and businesses in the local community and included a directory of more than 50 local businesses, as well as important updates on the status of project construction. The companion piece to the brochure is the interactive project Google Map. In addition to featuring the local businesses, the interactive map also allows businesses the opportunity to promote upcoming deals and specials, highlight services they offer, and more. If you are a business owner and wish to add your business or a special promotion to the interactive map, please contact us at 877-55-SBCTA.