A portion of a busy Jersey City street will remain closed for repair work after a freight train struck an overpass last week.
Work is being performed in the area of the Baldwin Avenue bridge over rail tracks to build a “bypass” for a 20-inch water main, causing the closure of the street from Magnolia Avenue to High Street.
A CSX train of double-stacked containers struck the span June 27 when one of the containers did not clear the underside of the bridge.
A state Department of Transportation (DOT) spokeswoman said a structural evaluation of the Baldwin Avenue Bridge found damage to two bridge beams and a separate truss carrying a water main.
Because of the damage, Jersey City closed the southbound sidewalk on Baldwin Avenue at the recommendation of the DOT. The northbound sidewalk remains open.
Jersey City and city Municipal Utilities Authority officials did not respond to requests to more information on the impact of the crash.
Work was being performed Friday by a Underground Utilities Corp. Veolia, the company that manages the city’s water lines, is not involved in the repairs, a company spokesman said.
A crew from another company, Water Works Laboratory, was at the scene Friday opening a hydrant to test water for bacteria. It could not be determined if the test was related to the work.
It could not be determined how long it will take to complete repairs, or the total amount of damage caused by the crash. CSX officials did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
Along with full closure between Magnolia and High, Baldwin Avenue is only open to southbound traffic from High to Academy streets.
Jersey Journal Chief Photographer Reena Rose Sibayan contributed to this report.
