The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) and contractor Traylor Granite Joint Venture finished rebuilding the Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge, restoring a key connection on the west side of San Bernardino after a five-year closure. The $270 million project replaces the original 1934 structure. SBCTA closed the old bridge in December 2020 and demolished it in April 2021 after inspectors rated it structurally deficient.
The new quarter-mile bridge spans 22 active rail lines, including 20 operated by BNSF Railway, one by Metrolink, and one by Amtrak. Crews installed 53 steel beams to reinforce the structure, including nine girders that measured 182 feet in length and weighed 125 tons—the longest precast girders ever produced for a bridge in California.
The Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge once carried about 60,000 vehicles daily and served as a vital corridor for residents, businesses, and freight. SBCTA reopened the new bridge to traffic on August 23, 2025, following a public ribbon-cutting ceremony.
During the closure, SBCTA partnered with Omnitrans to provide free bus service and worked with local businesses to ease economic impacts.