After years of closures and construction, the long-awaited Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge in San Bernardino is finally open.
Local leaders say the reopening restores a vital connector for neighborhoods, schools, and businesses across the west and east sides of the city.
The bridge sits above one of the largest railyards in the region, replacing the crumbling structure first built in 1934. It had become unsafe, forcing cars, buses, and trucks to detour for years.
It was completely disassembled in 2021.
State Senator Eloise Gomez-Reyes was there.
“The Mount Vernon Bridge has always been important as a connector for our communities, and for those of you who had to go to Meatless and had to take the freeway, right? I missed a lot of meals at Mitla’s just because that bridge was no longer there. So, I'm so happy that we get to go to Mitla’s, we get to go see Dr. Arteaga over at La Salle, and so many other places.”
The majority of the $244 million price tag was covered by federal funds, $40 million came from the city.