Major Changes For New Hope-Lambertville Bridge Project

Major changes for the New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge rehabilitation project were announced Tuesday afternoon.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission confirmed to NewHopeFreePress.com that the updated schedule for the work is an “improved project-execution approach.”

The shakeup of the project plan, timeline, and impacts on drivers and pedestrians comes just as work was entering the pre-construction stages.

The updated plan released Tuesday will allow for uninterrupted pedestrian travel across the bridge that connects Bucks County and Hunterdon County for the project that is expected to take 10 months.

“The contractor’s plan also ensures continuous Pennsylvania-bound vehicular crossings at the bridge. The commission wanted project work sequenced in a manner that would prevent the free bridge’s Pennsylvania-bound commuters from being forced to use the nearby New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge, which is tolled in the Pennsylvania-bound direction,” the commission said in a press release.

The commission added: “New Jersey-bound vehicular travel at the free bridge, however, will now be subject to a continuous eight-month long detour to the nearby toll bridge, which is un-tolled in the Route 202-northbound direction for travel into New Jersey.  The New Jersey-bound detour is expected to start on or about January 29 and continue without interruption through September.”

The revised travel impact plan for the bridge project was recently submitted to the commission by Anselmi and DeCicco Inc., the Maplewood, New Jersey-based project contractor.

According to commission officials, the updated plan aims to mitigate potential risks, including supply chain issues and winter weather, that were part of the original project plan released last summer.

The bridge rehabilitation project encompasses replacing the current fiberglass panels that make up the walkway, cleaning and repainting of the bridge’s steel-truss superstructure, repair or replacement of deteriorated or compromised steel components, upgrading roadway and walkway lighting to an energy-efficient LED system, installation of a programmable color-changing LED lighting system to accentuate the bridge’s Pratt-truss architectural profile, replacement of electrical wiring and connections, and updating the bridge’s security camera system with the addition of up to two new walkway cameras.

Below is the update on the schedule that has been released by the commission:

Pre-Construction

As previously announced, the contractor has begun mobilizing equipment and materials at a secure location roughly one mile away from the bridge.  The pre-construction activities are now expected to end on or about January 29.

Stage 1

• Anticipated duration: late-January to May
• Start of travel impacts: on or about January 29
• Travel impacts:
  • Bridge walkway open.
  • Pennsylvania-bound traffic can cross the bridge, but this westbound direction of traffic will be shifted to the bridge’s downstream side at the structure’s New Jersey approach.
  • An uninterrupted New Jersey-bound traffic detour takes effect. This travel restriction shall remain in place for eight months.  Eastbound traffic will be blocked at the intersection of Bridge and Main streets in New Hope.  Begin-detour signage at this intersection and at the intersection of West Bridge Street and Route 202 to the west will direct affected New Jersey-bound motorists to the 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.
• Confined work area:  upstream side of the bridge truss
• Major work activities: installation of containment/work platform below the bridge; scaffolding and painting containment on trusses, moving west to east; cleaning down to bare metal the bridge’s steel truss; applying a three-coat paint system; repairs; electrical and lighting work.

Stage 2

• Anticipated duration: May to July
• Start of new travel pattern: TBD/announcement in May
• Travel impacts:
  • Bridge walkway remains open.
  • Bridge remains open to Pennsylvania-bound vehicular traffic after being shifted back into its normal lane of travel on the bridge’s upstream side.
  • New Jersey-bound traffic detour continues; eastbound traffic blocked at the intersection of Bridge and Main streets in New Hope with begin-detour signage at that location and the West Bridge Street/Route 202 intersection to the west. Detour extends across the New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge and Route 202 northbound, which is toll-free for travel into New Jersey.
• Confined work area: scaffolding and painting containment on center portions of the bridge trusses.
• Major work activities: cleaning down to bare metal the bridge’s overhead center truss sections followed by application of a three-coat paint system; repairs where warranted; electrical and lighting work where possible.

Stage 3

• Anticipated duration: July to September
• Start of new travel pattern: TBD/announcement in late June or early July
• Travel impacts:
  • The bridge walkway is shut down. Pedestrian traffic will be moved to a six-foot-wide temporary walkway to be installed by the project contractor atop the bridge’s steel-grate roadway. This temporary facility’s mirrors the bridge’s pre-2004 walkway width – six feet. The temporary pedestrian crossing will be situated slightly upstream of the bridge’s downstream truss sections, providing space for containment and work activities on the bridge’s downstream trusses. The Commission also plans to provide a complimentary temporary free shuttle service 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily during this construction stage. The shuttle route and pickup/drop-off locations will be the same as what was announced in November. More information will be provided in advance of Stage 3’s start date.
  • Bridge remains open to Pennsylvania-bound traffic in its usual upstream travel lane.
  • New Jersey-bound traffic detour continues; eastbound traffic blocked at the intersection of Bridge and Main streets in New Hope with begin-detour signage at that location and the West Bridge Street/Route 202 intersection to the west. Detour extends across the New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge and Route 202 northbound, which is toll-free for travel into New Jersey.
• Confined work area: moving scaffolding and painting containment in work area along the bridge’s downstream trusses and accompanying walkway sections.
• Major work activities: removal of existing walkway panels and accompanying pedestrian railings; cleaning and painting of underlying cantilevered steel walkway supports; installation of new safer and quieter foam-core walkway panels; installation of new pedestrian railings; cleaning down to bare metal the bridge’s downstream steel truss sections followed by painting with a three-coat system; repairs where warranted; electrical and lighting work where possible.

Stage 4 – Punch List

• Anticipated duration: ending at an undetermined date in fall 2024
• Start of new travel pattern impacts: TBD/announcement in late September
• Travel impacts:
  • New walkway open.
  • Bridge’s two vehicular travel lanes open — one lane in each direction.
  • Intermittent weekday alternating single-lane travel controlled by flaggers on an as-needed basis.
• Work areas: below the bridge’s roadway and with intermittent closed single lanes on the bridge’s roadway.
• Major work activities: completion of project tasks failing to meet Commission’s specifications; completion and testing of a new programmable color-changing LED lighting system to highlight the bridge’s architectural profile.

As with any public works project, the new 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.

More information

The renderings and schedule also can be viewed online at the project webpage as follows:

• Stage 1 – click here
• Stage 2 – click here
• Stage 3 – click here
• Construction schedule – click here