NEW HOPE, PA – Only one month remains until the January 13, 2025 starting date for an anticipated two-week-long shutdown of the New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge.
The impending bridge closure, which was scheduled and announced last month, will enable a Commission contractor to permanently repair a deteriorated structural connection that was discovered in the bridge’s second span from the Pennsylvania side during the summer.
The upcoming full bridge closure is scheduled to occur during what are often the two coldest weeks of the year. Accordingly, crossings by motor vehicles and pedestrians are at their lowest volumes during this annual period. The full bridge closure also would occur after the winter holiday season ends.
If all goes according to plan and there are no winter-storm delays, the fully repaired bridge should reopen to vehicular crossings in both directions on or about January 27. Pedestrian crossings also would resume at that time.
The bridge has been undergoing a comprehensive rehabilitation since late January 2024, when an uninterrupted New Jersey-bound traffic detour went into effect.
It originally was anticipated that the structure could be reopened this fall, with a return of two-way traffic on the bridge’s roadway deck and pedestrians using a soon-to-be-completed new walkway facility. However, the unforeseen – but fortunate — discovery of a deteriorated structural connection has derailed the bridge’s rehabilitation schedule and the progression of that project’s construction activities.
Currently, the bridge is open to Pennsylvania-bound vehicular traffic and pedestrians. A detour of New Jersey-bound vehicles is expected to remain in place until work crews can fix the structural issue.
Alternate Routes During Two-Week Shutdown
The Commission urges motorists, pedestrians, residents, and businesses to plan ahead for the two-week-long bridge shutdown in January.
In addition to the current New Jersey-bound traffic detour, the bridge will be closed to Pennsylvania-bound vehicles and pedestrians in both directions.
As has been the case for the past 10 months, New Jersey-bound motorists will be detoured a mile north to the New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge, which does not have a toll in the New Jersey-bound direction.
Pennsylvania-bound motorists will have three options:
- The closest alternate river crossing is the New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge, one mile north. This is tolled in the PA-bound direction. The Class 1 toll for personal vehicles (motorcycles, cars, pickups, vans, and SUVs up to 8-feet high with two axles) is $1.50 for E-ZPass and $3 for TOLL BY PLATE (an invoice sent in the mail to the vehicle’s registered owner).
- The closest non-toll option is the Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge, 3.3 miles north.
- Downriver, the closest option is the Washington Crossing Bridge (narrow) 6.9 miles south.
Free Shuttle Service for Pedestrians
For pedestrians, the Commission plans to provide a free shuttle service operating 19 hours each day the bridge is closed.
The service is intended solely for bridge walkway patrons. The service will utilize the same two designated drop-off/pick-up locations used earlier in the bridge rehabilitation project. Both stops are close to the bridge in the commercial centers of the two riverfront communities:
- New Hope loading/unloading stop: on the northbound side of North Main Street approximate to the park benches near the building that houses the PNC Bank and Starbucks Coffee.
- Lambertville loading/unloading stop: the Pennsylvania-bound side of Bridge Street in the general area of the former Black River and Western Railroad crossing and the Princeton Bank building.
A one-way trip between the two stops is approximately 12 to 15 minutes (maps attached). The minibuses for this temporary courtesy service exceed the 4-ton gross vehicle weight restriction on the New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge, the free crossing linking the riverfront towns’ commercial centers. For this reason, the shuttle must travel across the toll bridge immediately north of New Hope and Lambertville.
More information on the daily shuttle service will be announced later this month.
