Contractor dug up roadway under Davis Ave. bridge to ensure sufficient clearance
underneath.
HARRISON –
The bridge wasn’t high enough so they lowered the road.
That turned out to be the solution for an engineering design dilemma facing Hudson County when officials were planning improvements to the single span arch Davis Ave. bridge in West Hudson Park.
For the project to proceed, County Engineer Demetrio Arencibia had to find a way to comply with a state Department of Transportation regulation that mandates a clearance of 14.6 feet under vehicular spans to allow enough room for the passage of trucks and heavy duty vehicles, county spokesman Jim Ken county spokesman James Kennelly explained.
To solve the problem, Arencibia and his staff concluded that the contractor should excavate and lower the roadway beneath the bridge by about a foot so that when the bridge was rebuilt, there would be adequate space, Kennelly said.
But the job was delayed several months because PSE&G had to first relocate and reroute a gas main that ran under the roadway, Kennelly said.
During the construction, vehicular traffic had to be detoured away from the Davis Ave. entrance to the park, which straddles the Kearny/ Harrison border, causing grief for rush-hour motorists.
Traffic continues to be detoured off Davis Ave.
Last week, the county alerted area residents that milling and paving of Davis/Woodland Aves., from the west side of the bridge to Devon St. in the park, was scheduled between May 12 and 14.
To date, billings submitted by the general contractor, ATech Concrete of Edison, for the job tally $1,657,395, according to Kennelly.
Work is expected to conclude by May 29, he said.
– Ron Leir
