PHILLIPSBURG, NJ – I-78 westbound motorists should again plan for the likelihood of severe traffic backups and travel delays on the New Jersey side of the I-78 Toll Bridge this weekend.
An uninterrupted 57-hour-long closure of two westbound travel lanes (only one of three lanes open) is set to begin 10 p.m. Friday, May 4, and continue until 7 a.m. Monday, May 7.
Severe traffic congestion is likeliest between the hours of 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Backups in excess of a mile and travel delays of an hour or more are likely.
Motorists should plan ahead if they need to use the Commission’s 6.5-mile-long I-78 westbound segment from the Phillipsburg/Routes 22 & 173 interchange (Exit 3) in New Jersey to the Easton/Morgan Hill Road interchange (Exit 75) in Pennsylvania. There is no way to avoid the work area after passing Exit 3 (last exit in NJ) on I-78 westbound.
The Commission urges drivers to consider using alternate routes, rescheduling their trips, or allowing extra time to reach their destinations if they plan to use the affected I-78 westbound segment this weekend.
The around-the-clock weekend travel restrictions are needed so work crews can perform work on roadway slabs at the NJ Route 173 Still Valley Interchange (Exit 3) and the Carpentersville Road overpass in Pohatcong, NJ. Two additional weekend-long closure periods are needed this spring to complete the approach slab replacements that are one facet of the I-78 Bridges and Approach Slabs Rehabilitation Project — http://www.drjtbc.org/project/I-78.
