U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) a former member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure today joined Mayor Jose ‘Joey” Torres, Assemblywoman Nellie Pou and other community leaders to re-open the Barclay Street Bridge. 

“The bottom line is that commerce in our city depends on structures like the Barclay Street Bridge serving in a safe and efficient manner,” stated Pascrell.  “The completion of this project is a perfect example of the type of investment we need nationally to boost the economy.  The best way to combat the economic downturn is through investment in infrastructure that puts people to work and improves communities.” 

Before this renovation, the Barclay Street Bridge was considered to be in critical condition making it prohibitive to use by trucks and buses.  Trucks heavier than 3 tons were prohibited from using the bridge.  Although the structure was designed to handle up to 25 tons, modern bridge standards call for a capacity of 45 tons. 

As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Pascrell worked closely with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to include $265,000 in federal local lead funding to get the project off the ground in 2004.  In total, the federal government invested $3.5 million in the City of Paterson to modernize the bridge. 

“Given the struggling economy, there is an urgent need to begin more projects like the one we completed today.  The economic recovery package being crafted in Congress with the incoming Administration is a good start to get folks working and to rebuild degrading infrastructure.  We are expecting to dedicate hundreds of billions of dollars to projects that are ready to go – where shovels can break ground in the next few months,” Pascrell concluded. 

In October, Pascrell announced completion of Paterson’s West Broadway Bridge, a federally funded $6 million project.     

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