DELAWARE WATER GAP, PA – A roughly six-month long project to address pavement deficiencies in the area of the Delaware Water Gap (I-80) Toll Bridge’s toll plaza area and along the bridge’s eastbound and westbound New Jersey approach roadways is scheduled to begin next week, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced today.
To mitigate motorist impacts, the project’s various construction tasks will be staged and confined to specific roadway sections that will be taken out of service for limited periods. The toll bridge itself is expected to remain fully open to two travel lanes in each direction for most – but not all — of the project’s duration.
The main concentration of work will involve full-depth replacement of spalling concrete slabs in the vicinity of the five-lane westbound barrier toll plaza on the bridge’s Pennsylvania side. This work is expected to begin next week and continue through the summer months.
Starting Monday, May 3, the bridge’s toll plaza will be reduced to three toll-collection lanes to allow for removal and reconstruction of the center concrete slabs in the transition zone immediately west of the toll bridge. This three-toll-booth pattern will remain in place for a month to allow for this initial phase of project work. Backups and delays are possible during high-volume periods as westbound I-80 motorists adjust to the establishment of travel restrictions at the toll plaza. The adjoining Express E-ZPass (open-road tolling) facility will remain open through this period.
Subsequent project stages in the area of the toll plaza also will require two toll booths to be taken out of service for multiple weeks in June, July, and August. On at least two weekends – one in late July and the other in mid-August – westbound traffic at the bridge will need to be reduced to a single-lane to allow for around-the-clock high-intensity construction activities. Specific details of these weekend-long travel restrictions will be announced at a future date.
The work repairs and improvements are all part of the Commission’s Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge Facility Westbound Toll Plaza Roadway and New Jersey Approach Repairs Project.
The primary tasks are as follows:
- Full-depth replacement of the toll plaza’s concrete pavement slabs;
- Full-depth replacement of concrete pavement slabs in the toll plaza’s approach zone;
- Replacement of concrete curb gutters and the adjoining access sidewalk in the immediate area of the toll plaza;
- Replacement of the impact attenuators that separate each toll collection lane;
- Milling and paving of the adjoining highway-speed Express E-ZPass toll collection lane; and
- Milling and paving of the eastbound and westbound New Jersey approach lanes and shoulders. A high-friction surface treatment also will be applied to the pavements in this area.
Portions of the bridge’s Express E-ZPass (open-road tolling) facility are expected to be closed to allow for the milling and repaving work during the latter part of the summer. More details will be provided when that facet of project work draws closer.
Meanwhile, overnight and off-peak single-lane closures will be utilized to carry out the milling and repaving of the eastbound and westbound approach roadways in New Jersey during the fall.
The project’s construction activities are being performed by Road-Con, Inc. of West Chester, Pa. under a contract the Commission awarded March 29 for a not-to-exceed amount of $3,773,197.85. The contract is ultimately financed by the tolls the Commission collects at its eight toll bridges.
As currently scheduled, the project is expected to reach completion in mid-November.
Note: The aforementioned travel restrictions in this press release are subject to change due to weather, emergencies, traffic, and equipment/materials mobilization. Motorists are urged to allow extra time to reach their destinations, reduce speeds and exercise caution when travelling through project work areas.
