Senator Bob Gordon, Assemblywoman Connie Wagner and Assemblyman Tim Eustace (all D-Bergen/Passaic) on Thursday praised Bergen County officials for stepping up to provide funding for a long-term fix to the flooding caused by the Marcellus Street Bridge in Garfield.
During her State of the County Address today, Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan announced that the county will be providing $4 million in grant funding for the project. The 38th district lawmakers had sponsored legislation (A-576) last year that would have provided funding for the project however, Governor Christie vetoed the measure.
Residents in Fair Lawn, Garfield, Lodi, Maywood, Saddle Brook, South Hackensack, Rochelle Park, and Wallington have repeatedly been besieged with flooding due to the concrete impediments and iron girders under the bridge which collect debris during heavy rainfalls and form a natural dam that causes water to overflow and flood the surrounding areas. The lawmakers noted that new technologies available can support the bridge without the concrete walls, which local officials believe would help alleviate roughly 80 percent of the flooding that occurs.
“This is wonderful news for everyone that has dealt with the nightmare of flooding caused by the Marcellus Street Bridge. We worked tirelessly to try and find a solution last year, only to have the Governor respond with a resounding ‘no.’
“We vowed at that time that we would not give up on working together to find a common solution and we continued forging ahead in concert with county officials, holding monthly flood meetings with affected towns.
“Today that effort has paid off and we want to thank County Executive Donovan, Freeholder Steve Tanelli, who serves as liaison to the county Flood Advisory Council, and everyone who has supported this project. They understand how crucial this project is to the quality of life for countless Bergen County residents and they stood up when it mattered most,” said Gordon, Wagner and Eustace.