Clay Street Bridge Reopening Friday

The Clay Street bridge is re-opening Friday, Jan. 11 at 5:30 pm after being closed for several months due to construction, city officials said Thursday.

Construction of the portion of the Clay Street Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Solids/Floatables Control Facility located in Clay Street, and the sewer pipes that connect to the structure, has been finished. The bridge was closed on July 5, 2012, for this work.

The construction was completed close to the originally scheduled date of Dec. 31, 2012.

“We closed the Clay Street Bridge to build a new facility that will enable us to treat the Combined Sewer Discharges in accordance with NJDEP Mandates. I thank residents and motorists for their patience while we completed this important project to help clean the Passaic River for our residents and the residents of the State, and commend our Department of Water and Sewer Utilities for undertaking this important project,” said Mayor Cory Booker.
 
The Clay Street CSO Facility will enable the Department of Water and Sewer Utilities to meet state Department of Environmental Protection mandates to screen all combined overflow during heavy storms. Once completed, debris collected by the screening process will be transported to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s site in the East Ward for processing, while the overflow water will go into the Passaic River.