San Bernardino’s Historic Mt. Vernon Bridge to Reopen Aug. 23 After Nearly 5-Year Closure
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Photo by Manny Sandoval: The Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge stands nearly complete ahead of its Aug. 23 reopening, ending a five-year closure in San Bernardino.
After nearly five years of closure, San Bernardino’s historic Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge is set to reopen to traffic on Saturday, Aug. 23, restoring a vital connection between communities on the city’s west side.
Originally constructed in 1934, the Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge served as a major artery for 86 years, linking residents, students, businesses, and visitors across one of the busiest rail yards in the region. Before its closure in December 2020, the bridge carried approximately 60,000 vehicles per day.
Deemed structurally deficient, the bridge was closed to the public for safety reasons. Demolition was completed by April 2021 to make way for a modern replacement. However, due to its location above the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway’s expansive railyard—which includes 22 active rail lines, storage tracks, an intermodal yard, and lines used by Metrolink and Amtrak—construction required complex coordination to avoid interrupting rail operations.
Following the bridge’s disassembly, BNSF relocated a building and realigned rail lines within the yard to maintain operations. In April 2023, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) resolved a utility conflict in the rail yard, clearing the way for BNSF to complete its improvements later that year.
Since then, SBCTA and the project’s design-build team, Traylor Granite Joint Venture, have worked to complete the new quarter-mile-long bridge. The structure includes 53 girders, nine of which are 182 feet long and weigh 250,000 pounds each—making them the longest pre-cast girders ever produced for a bridge in California.
To celebrate the reopening, the City of San Bernardino will host a community event beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 23. The festivities will include a ribbon cutting, local business booths, a classic car show, and the rare opportunity for pedestrians to walk the bridge before it reopens to traffic later that afternoon.
The new bridge is expected to officially open to vehicles that same day, reconnecting the northern and southern sections of West San Bernardino.
In the interim, SBCTA partnered with Omnitrans to offer free bus service to residents during the bridge closure. In support of local businesses affected by the construction, SBCTA also produced a bilingual business brochure to help promote nearby shops and services.
