NEW HOPE, PA – The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission today announced that construction activities and travel impacts for its upcoming 10-month-long New Hope-Lambertville Bridge Rehabilitation Project have been rescheduled to start on Tuesday, January 30.
The Commission previously announced a January 29 start date for the work. The Commission said the project contractor has since asked for an additional day before starting work at the bridge. Rather than start a scheduled traffic detour on Monday and not have work taking place on the bridge, it was decided to launch construction and travel changes on Tuesday instead.
So, on Tuesday morning, an uninterrupted eight-month-long New Jersey-bound traffic detour will be put into effect at the intersection of Bridge and Main streets in New Hope. This will initially allow the bridge’s Pennsylvania-bound traffic to be shifted into the travel lane that normally carries New Jersey-bound traffic. The bridge’s Pennsylvania-bound traffic shift shall remain in place into May, after which it is to be moved back into its normal upstream lane. The bridge walkway also will remain open during this period.
New Jersey-bound detour: The uninterrupted New Jersey-bound traffic detour will have two starting points: at the intersection of East Bridge and Main streets in New Hope and at the intersection of West Bridge Street and Route 202 to the west of New Hope’s commercial center. Detour signage will direct affected motorists to the nearby New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge and Route 202 northbound, which is toll-free for travel into New Jersey. The full detour route continues to the intersection of Main Street/Route 29 and Bridge Street/Route 179 in Lambertville.
The NJ-bound detour map can be viewed at this link: https://www.drjtbc.org/wp-content/uploads/NJ-bound_travel_detour_January_to_September.pdf
Stage 1 project work: The initial traffic changes to be put in place next week will produce a cordoned construction area on the bridge’s upstream side. This protected area will allow work crews to execute a series of Stage 1 project tasks: installation of a suspended debris-containment/work platform beneath the structure; erection of scaffolding and tarping systems; cleaning the upstream steel truss down to bare metal; making repairs where needed; applying a three-coat paint system; and conducting various electrical and lighting work
The Stage 1 work zone and bridge travel pattern can be viewed at this link: https://www.drjtbc.org/wp-content/uploads/Stage-1_bridge_travel_starts_January_29.pdf
A specific end date for the project’s first work stage and travel pattern is expected to be announced during the spring. The start date for the second work stage and corresponding travel pattern also would be announced at this time.
As with any public works project, the plan and schedule for carrying out the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge rehabilitation project is subject to change due to unpredictable variables like emergencies, supply-chain issues, and severe weather and river conditions.
A project webpage was established in early 2023. It is updated periodically. It can be viewed at: https://www.drjtbc.org/project/newhopelambertville.
