NEW HOPE, PA – The countdown to a two-week-long shutdown of the New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge is down to six days and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission is urging motorists to anticipate travel delays once the bridge closure begins.
A critical preparatory step for the bridge shutdown occurred yesterday when engineers successfully tensioned a temporary “friction collar” stabilization device on a section of the bridge that was discovered to have a severely deteriorated structural connection last summer. For the next week, engineers will assess the friction collar’s performance and reliability by electronically monitoring a series of strain gauges at or near the deteriorated structural connection.
If no issues are detected, the plan is for the bridge to be shut down to all vehicular traffic and pedestrian crossings starting approximately 6 a.m. Monday, January 13. The bridge could then remain closed to traffic for up to two weeks, ending no later than January 27.
Alternate Vehicular Routes During Temporary Bridge Closure
As has been the case for the past 10 months, New Jersey-bound motorists will be detoured a mile north to the New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge, which does not have a toll in the New Jersey-bound direction.
Pennsylvania-bound motorists have three options:
- The closest alternate river crossing is the New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge, one mile north. This is tolled in the PA-bound direction. The Class 1 toll for personal vehicles (motorcycles, cars, pickups, vans, and SUVs up to 8-feet high with two axles) is $1.50 for E-ZPass and $3 for TOLL BY PLATE (an invoice sent in the mail to the vehicle’s registered owner). Note: cash collections ended at the bridge in June 2024.
- The closest non-toll option is the Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge, 3.3 miles north.
- Downriver, the closest option is the Washington Crossing Bridge (narrow) 6.9 miles south.
Temporary Shuttle Service for Pedestrians
As was the case during summer and fall 2024, the Commission has contracted an outside vendor to provide a temporary shuttle service at no cost to its riders. The service is intended solely for bridge walkway patrons only.
The shuttle will operate with two vehicles in service 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and extended service with a single vehicle 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. As before there will be single designated drop-off/pick-up stops in New Hope and Lambertville’s commercial centers:
- 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 and images attached below). 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 will consist 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.
The daily shuttle runs will end once the bridge’s walkway can be put back into service.
A Unique Repair
The repair involves a 4-inch-diameter, 18-inch-long steel pin that supports a critical joint of 11 structural steel members on the bridge’s second truss span from the Pennsylvania side. The 120-year-old pin has rusted and worn to the point where it poses a potential risk for failure under heavy load.
This would mark the first time that a such pin replacement has been performed on the steel Pratt-truss bridge linking New Hope and Lambertville. It also would mark the first time that such a repair procedure has been executed at any of the Commission’s bridges.
