About the Project

Bergen County is advancing the design for the replacement of the East Anderson Street/Cedar Lane Bridge over the Hackensack River in the City of Hackensack and Township of Teaneck. Replacement of the bridge will improve its structural, geometric, and operational deficiencies, enhance safety and provide efficient crossing for all modes of transportation.

The East Anderson Street/Cedar Lane Bridge (County Structure No. 23A), located on County Route 60, is a critical transportation connection for the communities on both sides of the Hackensack River including businesses, residents, and commuters. The 302-foot-long bridge connects the City of Hackensack and the Township of Teaneck and is used by motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

Project Background

The East Anderson Street/Cedar Lane Bridge was originally built in 1971. The bridge has six spans, is simply supported (pinned support at one end; roller support on the other) and has prestressed concrete box beams. In 2012, due to structural deficiencies, a weight restriction was instituted, barring trucks, buses, and other vehicles over 15 tons from crossing the span. The two outer lanes of the bridge were also closed at that time. 

A Local Concept Development (LCD) study for major rehabilitation or replacement of the bridge was completed in Summer 2020 through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) using federal funding, with Bergen County as the project sponsor. During this phase, a well-defined Purpose and Need Statement was developed, focusing on the need to improve safety and maintain the current crossing over the Hackensack River. A number of sensible and practical conceptual alternatives were developed to meet the project goals and objectives.

In coordination with the NJTPA, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, local officials, community stakeholders, and permitting agencies, it was agreed, upon completion of an alternatives analysis, that the recommended Preliminary Preferred Alternative (PPA) to address the structural deficiencies is to replace the bridge with a new structure. Resolutions of support were passed in November 2019 by the City of Hackensack and the Township of Teaneck.

Local Preliminary Engineering Phase

The project is now in the Local Preliminary Engineering (LPE) phase. The LPE phase involves performing engineering and environmental tasks and documentation in order to obtain National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearance for the project. Based on the Preliminary Preferred Alternative (PPA), a number of activities are simultaneously set in motion: community involvement (meetings with affected property owners or business owners), agency consultation, environmental documentation, design level mapping and design services. To inform and to encourage community consensus, community stakeholder and public information center meetings will be conducted. 

The tasks conducted during the LPE Phase consist of, but are not limited to:

• Technical environmental studies (including Section 106 and Section 4(f) Evaluation)
• NEPA Document (Categorical Exclusion)
• Development of design level base plans
• Utility discovery and verification
• Geotechnical studies (soil boring and analysis) for foundation and pavement design
• Preliminary drainage work
• Structural studies that document the structural selection process and the recommended structure and aesthetic treatments
• Access impact evaluation
• Development of property acquisition cost estimates and project cost estimate

Local Preliminary Engineering Phase – Anticipated Project Schedule (Major Milestones)

Anticipated Community Involvement Schedule

Local Officials Meeting No. 1	June 2022
Local Officials Meeting No. 2	Early 2023
Community Stakeholders Meeting	Early 2023
Public Information Center Meeting	Late 2023