NJ Route 15 Bridge Closure Causes Major Headaches; Town Asks State For Help

JEFFERSON, NJ — Officials confirmed there is no estimated reopening date for the Route 15 South bridge over the Rockaway River in Jefferson, after safety issues prompted the state to shut it down Tuesday.

The closure caused a "horrible" day of trapped residents, confused drivers, and backed-up traffic, said the mayor of Jefferson Township as he provided some more information Wednesday.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation had begun one-lane closures for an $11.6 million project, which will replace the southbound side of the small bridge, on Monday. Engineers determined it was unsafe on Tuesday afternoon, as Patch reported.

Mayor Eric Wilsusen said that the closure was unprecedented, and that local officials are "doing everything we can" to push NJDOT to expedite the repairs, construct a temporary bridge, and do "whatever it takes" to get traffic moving again.

Wilsusen also said he has asked New Jersey State Police for their help directing the flow of traffic at certain intersections.

"I don't expect today or even the next few days to get a ton better, but maybe there will be a little more controlled chaos," he wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning.

Wilsusen said he was informed Tuesday that the existing bridge had "apparently started to shift," and transportation officials came out to do a further inspection in hopes of keeping one lane open. He said NJDOT determined the bridge was still shifting and was unsafe, and closed the bridge at around 2 p.m.

The closure affects Route 15 southbound, from Cedar Terrace to Berkshire Valley Road. Northbound Route 15 is still open, officials said.

Drivers are being detoured via Edison Road, Espanong Road, and Minnisink Road to get onto Berkshire Valley Road and back over to Route 15 South.

The state has also been working on an $8 million project that is meant to enhance safety at the intersection of Berkshire Valley and Route 15.

Wilsusen said that town officials will also work with NJDOT to get better detour signage and access to the businesses on Route 15 South below Edison Road.

He said many drivers were unsure how to get to Route 80 on Tuesday with the closure, and added that officials had to devise a plan for drivers leaving local businesses or coming out of Cedar Terrace, who were trapped when the bridge closed.

"Obviously, this is unprecedented and certainly was not planned as some have claimed, and there is no playbook for this; we will have to make adjustments to the plan as we go forward," he said.

In comments on the post, residents thanked Wilsusen for the information while also sharing "how complex and frustrating this is for so many," as one commenter put it. Others expressed concerns about the high volume of trucks and other traffic now traveling along other roads.

Another said her children were on a hot school bus for two hours with the delayed traffic.

NJDOT records show that the state's bid for the project went to Anselmi & DeCicco, Inc. of Maplewood on May 19, 2022.