Road closure during Barstow's North First Avenue Bridge project

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·2 min read

A temporary road closure will take place as crews work on the North First Avenue Bridge project, according to the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority.

Crews are scheduled to begin construction Monday on curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and ADA ramps at the corner of West White Street and North First Avenue. During construction, West White Street at North First Avenue will be closed to motorists and pedestrians. There will be access to businesses in the area.

Work is expected to occur during daytime hours, Monday through Friday through mid-May, county officials reported.

A temporary road closure will take place as crews work on the North First Avenue Bridge project. Crews are scheduled to begin construction on curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and ADA ramps at the corner of West White Street and North First Avenue.
A temporary road closure will take place as crews work on the North First Avenue Bridge project. Crews are scheduled to begin construction on curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and ADA ramps at the corner of West White Street and North First Avenue.

North First Avenue Bridge

The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, the city of Barstow and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad are working to construct a new North First Avenue Bridge to replace the older structure that was built around 1930.

In the Bridge Inspection Report prepared by Caltrans in April 2012, the bridge received a sufficiency rating of three out of 100. The rating earmarked the bridge as structurally deficient in its superstructure, substructure, and overall structural evaluation, according to the report.

The existing bridge is also considered functionally obsolete due to its overall geometry and substandard vertical clearance.

A temporary road closure will take place as crews work on the North First Avenue Bridge project. Crews are scheduled to begin construction on curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and ADA ramps at the corner of West White Street and North First Avenue.
A temporary road closure will take place as crews work on the North First Avenue Bridge project. Crews are scheduled to begin construction on curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and ADA ramps at the corner of West White Street and North First Avenue.

The new bridge project includes the construction of new approach roadways, a new two-lane structure, and the demolition of the old structure once the new bridge has been opened to traffic.

The replacement bridge will enhance traffic safety, improve Americans with Disabilities Act access, enhance pedestrian walkways, and re-establish a safety connection between the residential northern portion and the southern downtown business district, according to county transportation officials.

The nearly $85 million bridge project, which broke ground in January 2023, is expected to be completed this fall.

In March, the North First Avenue Bridge project was considered 65% complete.

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Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Road closure during Barstow's North First Avenue Bridge project