EASTON, PA – The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission today warned motorists to expect heavy traffic congestion and significant travel delays along I-78 westbound approaching the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border this weekend.
I-78 westbound is scheduled to be reduced to a single travel lane (from the normal three lanes) for roughly 1.5 miles, from the Carpentersville Road overpass in Pohatcong, N.J. and continuing across the I-78 Toll Bridge to just beyond the approach bridge at PA Route 611 in Williams Township, PA.
The uninterrupted 57-hour-long closure of two westbound travel lanes is set to begin 10 p.m. Friday, March 16, and continue until 7 a.m. Monday, March 19.
Major traffic congestion is likeliest between the hours of 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with backups in excess of a mile and travel delays of an hour or more possible.
Motorists are advised to 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 and the Easton/Morgan Hill Road interchange (Exit 75) in Pennsylvania.
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 weekend lane closures are needed so work crews can carry out full-depth replacements of deteriorated concrete approach slabs at the I-78 Toll Bridge’s westbound span and the nearby approach bridge that carries I-78 westbound across PA Route 611. Seven additional weekend-long restricted-travel periods will be needed along I-78 to complete the concrete replacement work at the toll bridge, Route 611 and several other locations along the roadway segment.
More information on the I-78 Bridges and Approach Slabs Rehabilitation Project is available at: http://www.drjtbc.org/project/I-78
