A 12-day detour of New Jersey-bound traffic at the New Hope-Lambertville Free Bridge began Monday.
The detour will facilitate construction to correct deficiencies at the bridge’s two landside approaches, including two masonry walls, sidewalk and curbing, and the New Jersey-side pavement, according to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC)
The bridge’s pedestrian walkway and Pennsylvania-bound vehicular-travel lane will remain open while works takes place. The New Jersey-bound travel lane, however, will be blocked at the intersection of Bridge Street/PA Route 179 and Main Street/PA Route 32 in New Hope. Affected motorists are advised to follow posted detours to the nearby New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge’s non-toll northbound lane for travel into New Jersey.
Work at the bridge approaches is limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, but the NJ-bound lane closure and corresponding temporary pedestrian-safety barriers will remain in place around-the-clock until the evening of June 12, weather permitting. The breakdown of the significant anticipated work activities and travel impacts at the bridge are as follows:
- Patch and re-coat the curbing and deteriorating masonry retaining walls at the bridge’s Pennsylvania approach;
- Repair/replace portions of the New Jersey approach curbing;
- Reconfigure the curb return at the northwest corner of Bridge Street and Lambert Lane in Lambertville and install an ADA-compliant curb return; and
- Mill and repave the Commission’s asphalt approach on the New Jersey side, ending at the current Bridge Street/Lambert Lane seam line (the Pennsylvania side was repaved more recently and does not warrant replacement).
Travel impacts: Access to and from the bridge’s walkway on the Pennsylvania side will be diverted into the NJ-bound approach roadway, which will be closed to vehicular traffic and cordoned off from PA-bound traffic with temporary concrete barriers. This temporary configuration is expected to last 12 days, including one weekend. New Jersey-bound vehicular traffic will be diverted during this time to the nearby New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge (non-toll direction).
The work at the New Hope-Lambertville free bridge is just one facet of a broader seven-week-long project that will make repairs and improvements to approach roadways and sidewalks at three dual-lane truss bridges between Bucks and Hunterdon counties.
After the work at New Hope-Lambertville is completed, the project contractor will first move to the Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Toll-Supported Bridge on June 15, and then the Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge on June 18.
It seems to me that the work could take place day and night in order to expedite the repairs. But then again, this is the Toll Bridge Commission which for the most part, does not have to account to the local communities.
Never have I seen a system where non-toll bridges are staffed around the clock with “patrol” officials. Security? How about cameras at a central headquarters? The staffing is a total waste of money.
I asked. Straight from the horse’s mouth (a guy sitting in that little house on the Lambertville side) they are there to prevent jumpers. Now, don’t you feel so much safer?