NORTHRIDGE : Bridge to Be Closed Until Mid-March

The Nordhoff Street bridge between Corbin and Tampa avenues in Northridge will remained closed until mid-March while workers rebuild sections of adjacent roadways that sunk during the Northridge quake, authorities said Friday.

The bridge, measuring about one-third of a mile, was completed in 1990 at a cost of $6 million and was designed to ease congestion around the Northridge Fashion Center. The bridge extends Nordhoff Street over railroad tracks and Limekiln Creek, a storm drain.

Luis Ganaja, a structural engineer for the city, said the bridge itself sustained no damage in the quake. The problem is that the pavement leading to the bridge on both ends sunk about 18 inches.

The sunken section of roadway was built over fill dirt that may not have been adequately compacted, Ganaja said. Repair of the pavement is expected to cost about $450,000, he said.