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, Apr. 27, and continue until 7 a.m. Monday, Apr. 30.
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 replace deteriorating roadway slabs at that approach bridge that carries I-78 westbound west across County Route 519 in Pohatcong, Warren County, N.J. Three 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
