Bess Avenue Pedestrian Bridge Will Be Closed

There is good news and bad news for residents close to the Bess Avenue pedestrian bridge overpass in Baldwin Park.

The bad news is that the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced this week that the bridge will be closed until this summer as part of the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane construction project, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. 

The good news is that Athol Street Bridge, the one that was closed for reconstruction since summer 2011, is open again to motorists and pedestrians.

The closure of the Bess Avenue bridge is part of a project that will create an 11-mile carpool lane on each side of the Interstate 10 between Interstate 605 and State Route 57. The Interstate 10 project is expected to be completed in 2013, according to NBC.

The pedestrian bridge had become a location for graffiti and garbage in recent days, said some nearby residents.

"We know it is temporary, but it has been a problem," said Angel Juarez, a resident who walks over the bridge to get to the Kaiser Permanente Hospital without driving his car. "We expect that, after this, everything will be better."