Friday, April 20, 2018

3..2...1...Open

20-April-2018

                                                Three....                                                           .. Two...
                                                     

..One..





                                                                          ....OPEN.



       Early Friday Morning 20-April-2018  the Lt. William Ryan Memorial Bridge was opened to pedestrian traffic. Crews still need to do some last minute painting and adding traffic lines to the road way. Then soon after noon the barriers and detour signs came down, and the second Hackensack River crossing from Bogota accepted vehicle traffic. After 13 months of construction, with a number of planning and weather delays cars and trucks can now take a smoother and quieter ride into Hackensack.  
   The new span replaces the 1900 structure, then called the Midtown bridge, to carry traffic over the Hackensack River between Bogota and the City of Hackensack. Starting in October of 2013  the Ryan Bridge needed to be closed several times in order to replace a number of decking plates that had become damaged due to age.  In 2014 The New Jersey Dept. of Environment Protection, The Bergen County  Soil Conservation District and the U.S. Coast Guard  clear approval of construction of a replacement bridge. In early 2016 plans for the replacement structure were prepared. Work on the bridge will begin after the drainage project on W. Ft Lee. near the River Club site was complete.
   The former Truss Box super structure and the approach from the Bogota entrance was totally dismembered to the concrete piers and deposed of. The bridge piers were then  refurbished and strengthen with new caps.  The single box truss was replaced with a twin Warren Truss super structure that will meet at the existing centre pivot pier.  The new  super- structure of the Warren Truss will be open at the top with no horizontal members. This will eliminate the old 15 ft height restrictions,  at this time there is not a maximum weight limit to the new bridge.  The sidewalk will be included on the southern face of the bridge deck, with a decorative  fence replacing the chain link fence on the current bridge. New safety barriers will be added and the dedication plaque to Lt William Ryan will be replaced. 
  The original time line was full closure in February of 2017 with a reopening  in November  of the same year. Delays from the start cause the closing to be pushed back a month, then further delays  force the bridge to be closed for over a year.
    The official re-dedication  ceremony  is scheduled for Saturday -21-April.  This will be only three day ahead of Lt. Ryan's 74th Birthday.  The Bogota VFW Post #5561 and the Bogota Mayor and Council will host the redecoration of the Lt William Ryan USMC memorial Bridge. This will be held at the parking lot next to the Olsen Park Environmental Walk , and is scheduled to start at 1:00p. It is excepted to have members of Lt. Ryan families in attendance.  There will be a reception  following the ceremony at the Bogota Recreation Centre. 
   Now that the Lt Ryan Bridge is open the New York Susquehanna & Western Railway (NYSW) plans to repair the crossing at W. Ft. Lee rd. This is scheduled to take one weekend.  In the coming months the Cedar Lane Bridge between Teaneck and Hackesack  will then be closed for replace, or repair.  



























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