Completed South Orange Bridge Brings Focus to Next Phases of Project

Work continues around South Orange's bridge, while cyclists and pedestrians put it to use. The new bridge opened for business on Monday, a day ahead of schedule.

The bridge is part of the larger Rahway River Greenway project, which calls for improvements along the Rahway, reaching from the Village's border with West Orange to the Maplewood town line.

, the first phase of work saw the banks of the river relaxed, and invasive weeds replaced with native plants, flowers and shrubs. A bicycle and pedestrian path was built on the side nearest to the , and a bridge -- now known as Jonathan's bridge -- connecting the two banks was installed in 2010.

In his , then-Village President Douglas Newman noted that the project was largely the result of work by three volunteers, who started brainstorming how the river could become more visually attractive and pedestrian-friendly under the auspices of Main Street South Orange's design committee: Janine Bauer, who's now a Trustee; Rob Fisch; and Kirk Barrett.

"Everybody was used to not thinking about the river," noted Bauer, who worked with Village officials to raise funds for the project. Bauer first started contemplating the potential of the Rahway River as a recreation destination 10 years ago when she had to walk through the muck along the stretch connecting Meadowbrook Place and Mead Street in a skirt and heels on her way to the train station. She teamed up with Fisch and Barrett, and the concept for a bicycle and pedestrian path, concurrent with beautification of the river, was developed.

She noted that another element of the current phase is signage that explains the historic significance of Flood's Hill and explain to passersby that , Lou Gehrig and Josh Gibson once played at . Additional signs now alert park-goers to birds and plants of the area.

According to Village Administrator John Gross, the previous phase of work was funded through a $1.02 million congressional earmark; a $225,000 county Open Space grant; a $162,500 grant and $212,500 loan from Green Acres; and grants for $150,000 and $250,000 from the state Department of Transportation.

The phase-in-progress, between Mead Street and South Orange Avenue, was funded largely through two Department of Transportation grants, supported by U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. 

“This is the federal stimulus coming home to the people of South Orange,” said Pascrell, a member of the House Ways and Means committee, in a 2009 press release. “Not only will his help beautify the community’s riverside, but it will enhance residents’ accessibility to all that the town has to offer.”The Rahway River Greenway Project will see the next phase begin in the coming year. The plan calls for improvements along the Rahway, reaching from the Village's border with West Orange to the Maplewood town line.

In March, the board awarded the $403,000 contract to T. Fiotakis Construction for the current phase of the project; some $360,000 of the cost for the bridge is funded by two Department of Transportation grants. 

The two bigger phases to be tackled down the road are the segments from Third Street to Maplewood and from South Orange Avenue to Third Street. The latter is owned by New Jersey Transit, which makes the logistics more complicated. "We need to figure out how we're crossing South Orange Avenue and getting across the Third Street lot," said Bauer, who thinks it's likely that construction at the opposite end of the river will happen before the middle section is taken on.