REP. ANDREWS ANNOUNCES UNITED STATES AVENUE BRIDGE GROUNDBREAKING

On May 24, 2005, the New Jersey Department of Transportation broke ground for the construction of a new bridge over the Atlantic City Rail Line at United States Avenue in Lindenwold, NJ. I have been working with Mayor Frank DeLucca and the NJ Department of Transportation for over two years to make this plan a reality. The existing bridge, built in 1904, has been closed to vehicular traffic since 2000 due to safety concerns. The new bridge is poised to reintroduce a vital access route over the NJ Transit rail line. Adding this third crossing in Lindenwold will not only reduce traffic congestion, but also lower the response time for fire and other emergencies south of the bridge by five minutes. The original bridge will be rehabilitated for pedestrian and bicycle use.

I have been working with my colleagues in Congress to locate additional federal funding for this $6.7 million project. Through my efforts, $1 million in funding for the U.S. Avenue Bridge has been included in the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, H.R. 3, which passed the House on March 10, 2005 and the Senate on May 17, 2005. Currently this funding authorization is awaiting final committee approval and I will continue working to bring this funding home. To track the progress of this legislation, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov. I look forward towards the opening of the U.S. Avenue Bridge in August of 2006.

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