Bergen County and Essex County are advancing the design for the replacement of the existing Kingsland Avenue (Avondale and De Jessa Memorial) Bridge over the Passaic River to address its structural deficiencies and maintain an important transportation connection for local residents and regional commuters in Bergen County and Essex County. Due to its age, the bridge has deteriorated over time and routine maintenance can no longer address the deficiencies.

Overall Project Schedule by Phases

Local Concept Development Study Phase

A Local Concept Development (LCD) Study for major rehabilitation or replacement of the Kingsland Avenue Bridge was completed in 2020 using federal funding through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), with Bergen County as the project sponsor and Essex County with shared jurisdiction. During this phase, a well-defined Purpose and Need Statement was developed focusing on the need to improve safety and maintain the current crossing over the Passaic River. A number of conceptual alternatives were developed to meet the project goals and objectives.

In coordination with the NJTPA, NJDOT, local officials, community stakeholders, and permitting agencies, it was agreed, upon completion of an alternatives analysis, that the recommended Preliminary Preferred Alternative (PPA) to address the structural deficiencies is to replace the bridge with a new bridge structure. Resolutions of Support were passed by both the Township of Lyndhurst and Township of Nutley for the PPA. Improvements to the approach roadway intersections are also proposed in the vicinity of the bridge in Lyndhurst and in Nutley to better accommodate vehicular flow and mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Local Preliminary Engineering Phase

The LPE Phase was completed in 2024 and involved performing engineering and environmental tasks and documentation in order to obtain National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearance for the project. Environmental mitigation was identified along with the needed agency permits for the proposed bridge replacement and property Right-of-Way impacts were also identified. During this LPE Phase, Local Officials Meetings, a Community Stakeholders Meeting, and a Public Information Center were also conducted as part of the preliminary design development and environmental documentation completion. Resolutions of Support have been maintained by the Townships of Lyndhurst and Nutley for the recommended refined PPA for a new bridge replacement.

Final Design (FD) Phase

The project is currently in the Final Design (FD) Phase.  The FD Phase involves finalizing the bridge replacement and approach roadway intersection designs and preparing the construction contract documents including plans and specifications. Access modifications are completed in the FD Phase along with acquisition of the necessary Right-of-Way (ROW) for construction of the project. The necessary environmental permits for construction will also be obtained during this phase. To inform and to encourage community input, a Community Stakeholders Meeting and Public Information Center Meeting will be held during this phase.

The tasks to be conducted during the FD Phase consist of, but are not limited to:

FD Phase – Anticipated Project Schedule (Major Milestones)

FD Phase – Anticipated Community Involvement Schedule