NEW HOPE, PA – The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission continues to operate a daily courtesy shuttle service while the New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge’s pedestrian walkway undergoes replacement into the early fall.
As previously announced, the Commission is using an outside vendor to provide the shuttle service at no cost to its riders. The service is intended solely for bridge walkway patrons, especially during periods when the temporary bridge walkway might experience heavy use. (Note: The temporary walkway now in service on a portion of the bridge’s road deck is narrower than the permanent walkway – 6-feet-5 inches compared to 8 feet.)
The shuttle is operating 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. There are two designated stops, one in New Hope and the other in Lambertville. Both stops are close to the bridge in the commercial centers of the two riverfront towns:
- New Hope loading/unloading stop: on the northbound side of North Main Street approximate to the park benches near the building that houses the PNC Bank and Starbucks Coffee.
- Lambertville loading/unloading stop: the Pennsylvania-bound side of Bridge Street in the general area of the former Black River and Western Railroad crossing and the Princeton Bank building.
A one-way trip between the two stops is approximately 12 to 15 minutes (maps attached). The minibuses for this temporary courtesy service exceed the 4-ton gross vehicle weight restriction on the New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge, the free crossing linking the riverfront towns’ commercial centers. For this reason, the shuttle must travel across the toll bridge immediately north of New Hope and Lambertville.
The shuttle service consists of two-axle minibuses with maximum seating capacities for 20 passengers. There is space inside for two bicycles and each vehicle is ADA accessible, capable of loading and transporting disabled people in wheelchairs. Each vehicle can be configured to carry up to four wheelchairs, with a corresponding reduction of four passenger seats for each wheelchair. Four wheelchairs – an unlikely occurrence — would leave eight standard passenger seats available for a trip between the two towns.
As is the case with the rehabilitation project now taking place at the bridge linking New Hope’s and Lambertville’s commercial centers, the Commission is covering the shuttle service costs by using a share of the toll revenues it collects at its eight toll bridges. The Commission decided to provide the daily shuttle service because the New Hope-Lambertville bridge is widely considered to carry the most pedestrian traffic between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The daily shuttle runs WILL END once the new permanent bridge walkway opens in the early fall. Caveat: The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, at its sole discretion, may reduce the extent of the shuttle service – or eliminate it entirely — based on actual usage trends.
Barring unforeseen issues, the Commission expects it will be able to announce an anticipated walkway reopening date sometime in September.
The replacement of the bridge’s permanent walkway is taking place while the structure’s downstream steel truss sections and adjoining steel walkway supports get cleaned and repainted. A new walkway surface of quieter slip-resistant foam-core panels will later be installed along with new railings.
Shuttle Routes:
Shuttle Photos:
Shuttle Stops:
