The Gloucester County Board of Commissioners joined by Paulsboro council members gathered to rename County Bridge Number 3-F-18 in honor of Jeanne Giampola.
Before the bridge, auto traffic was blocked on a daily basis for up to an hour at a time by the trains, creating a nuisance and, more importantly, a public safety hazard, since emergency vehicles were part of the traffic jams.
Giampola, who served as a borough councilwoman and community advocate before her death at age 81 in 2016, made it her mission to fix the problem.
“Jeanne was a tenacious leader and advocate for the people of Paulsboro,” said Commissioner Director Robert M. Damminger. “Before the bridge, if the train came through we would have no access to parts of the borough for emergencies. Jeanne knew that this was a hazard and was determined to have this bridge built for the safety of her neighbors.”
The Gloucester County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a resolution renaming the span of the Jeanne Giampola Memorial Bridge Crossing, “to posthumously honor Jeanne Giampola for her many dedicated years of service to the Borough of Paulsboro and to the County of Gloucester.”