Morris County Bridges: Morristown's MLK Avenue Bridge Public Session THIS Wednesday

Published on September 17, 2019

Public Information Center Meeting

A special Public Information Center meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 18, to inform local residents, organizations, businesses and the public of the Local Concept Development Study to consider potential remedies to deal with the heavily used and deteriorating Martin Luther King Avenue bridge, which crosses the Whippany River in Morristown.

The meeting is being hosted by Morris County, in cooperation with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration.

photo of Martin Luther King Avenue bridge in Morristown(JPG, 184KB) Martin Luther King Avenue bridge in Morristown

The purpose of the Public Information Center session is to inform the public of the Purpose and Need Statement and to solicit public advice and comment on the conceptual alternatives and Preliminary Preferred Alternative (PPA) for bridge improvements.

All residents are invited to attend and are encouraged to comment on the study. The will be conducted in an open house format -- with the first portion outdoors, near the bridge.

  • Date: Wednesday, September 18, 2019
  • Time: 4€“5 p.m.
  • Place: Patriots Path at Martin Luther King Avenue across from the Cole Avenue Public Parking Lot (alternate location and time in case of rain: Calvary Baptist Church)
  • Date: Wednesday, September 18, 2019
  • Time: 5€“7 p.m.
  • Place: Mahalia Jackson Fellowship Hall, Calvary Baptist Church, 10 Martin Luther King Avenue, Morristown

Written comments will be accepted through Friday, Oct. 18. Comments may be mailed, emailed, or faxed to:

Danielle Ferland, Assistant Engineer Bridges and County Project Manager

County of Morris, Department of Public Works

Division of Engineering & Transportation, P.O. Box 900

Morristown, NJ 07963-0900

Fax: 973-539-3141

Email: dferland@co.morris.nj.us

This meeting is open to all members of the public.

For additional information on the project or to submit comments online, please visit the project website

Side view of the Martin Luther King Avenue bridge(JPG, 16KB) Side view of the Martin Luther King Avenue bridge

Built in 1900 and widened in 1928, the Martin Luther King Avenue Bridge is classified as structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. The stone arch bridge has two lanes and is 66-feet long. It masonry arches are deteriorating and separation is visible in the spandrel walls.

The bridge is located near residential and commercial buildings and has a high volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. It provides an important transportation connection for residents and commuters into and out of downtown Morristown.

It is adjacent to the Abbett Avenue playground and Patriot's Path, a 35-mile hiking trail in Morris County that stretches from East Hanover to Washington Township.

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