A new Edinger Bridge to help Seal Beach and Huntington Harbour residents recently opened in a ceremony before 65 locals and officials, including Orange County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Michelle Steel. The bridge on Edinger Avenue, near Countess Street, unites Huntington Harbour with Seal Beach’s Sunset Aquatic Marina across Anaheim Bay, adjacent to the National Wildlife Refuge.
“This project was much-needed because local residents have been without a bridge for 2 years, ever since the old structure deteriorated,” Steel said. “This is a stronger, safer passageway that was built five feet higher to meet floodplain standards.”
“The original bridge was built in 1968 and meant to be a temporary structure,” said Nathan Wheadon of OC Public Works. “Demolition and Construction began in 2017. More than 3,000 cubic yards of concrete were used for the bridge, which spans 340 feet and is 48.5 feet wide. There are two 12-foot travel lanes, two 8-foot shoulders and a 5-foot sidewalk on the southside. It also includes 2 bike lanes.”
An elated Phil Inglee, a nearby resident and former HB Planning Commissioner, attended the ceremony with his wife, Marilyn, who has run or walked across the old structure for over 30 years. Twenty years ago, Inglee was Forman of the Orange County Grand Jury, which studied the waterway and bridge and recommended its upgrade.
“This is a bridge that will last a lifetime,” predicted HB City Historian Jerry Person, who attended the ribbon cutting with Orange County Public Works Director Shane Silsby and other OC Employees.
For further information on the bridge, contact Supervisor Steel at 714-834-3220 or visit her website at http://www.ocgov.com/gov/bos/2.
