New Hope-Lambertville bridge to remain partially closed until 2025, officials say
Work on a Delaware River bridge connecting Pennsylvania and New Jersey will continue for "several more months" longer than anticipated, officials said Thursday.
Construction on the New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge will be extended because of an unexpected structural issue, the Delaware River Joint Bridge Commission announced.
A comprehensive rehabilitation project began in late January, and the bridge has been closed to New Jersey-bound traffic during that time. Pedestrian crossings have also been restricted to a temporary walkway.
Officials initially expected to be able to reopen the 120-year-old bridge this fall, but during the work, crews found a steel pin that supports a critical joint on the bridge has rusted and deteriorated so much it's making the bridge unsafe for heavy loads.
The pin's condition might not have been discovered without the sandblasting done for the renovation, the commission's announcement said. Other pins were ultrasonically tested and found to be safe, officials said.
The new pedestrian walkway will open "sometime in December," officials said.
The bridge likely will remain closed to New Jersey-bound traffic until "early 2025," the commission said, and a full two-week closure will also be needed to fully repair the bridge.
Because of the issue, the commission has been enforcing the bridge's four-ton weight limit and will continue to do so through the fall, the announcement says.
What comes next
Officials have a two-step plan to finish repairing the bridge.
The first is adding a customized device called a "friction-collar system" that will allow the bridge to work without risk of failure under a heavy load. Officials anticipate that device will be installed around Thanksgiving.
Activating this device, which is called post-tensioning, will likely require the bridge to close in both directions for two nights in a row in December. If everything goes according to plan, the new pedestrian walkway could then open and New Jersey-bound traffic could resume, officials said.
The bridge would still be closed to Pennsylvania-bound traffic until early 2025.
The second step is to build and install a new steel pin and repair parts of the bridge that are connected to the pin. This permanent fix will require the bridge to be closed to all cars and pedestrians for two weeks. Officials plan to schedule that closure in early 2025 to minimize additional disruption to New Hope and Lambertville during the holiday season.
Officials will release the schedule for these extra bridge closures later this year, the announcement says.
"We understand the importance this bridge has to New Hope and Lambertville, and we are committed to resolving this issue as quickly and safely as possible," the commission's executive director Joe Resta said in the announcement. "The public's safety and the bridge's structural integrity are top priorities."
When the bridge first closed to some traffic, businesses owners in the area said they were cautiously optimistic that their customers would continue to come to their shops and that keeping the pedestrian walkway open would help.