New Hope-Lambertville Bridge Reopens To 2-Way Traffic: What's Next?

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. — The New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge reopened to two-way traffic shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Friday.

The bridge will remain fully open through the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend.

Starting Tuesday, Feb. 18, only off-peak alternating single-lane travel restrictions are anticipated to be needed to complete the remaining project tasks. These will be implemented from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays for up to three weeks. Travel delays and traffic backups are possible when they are in effect. Motorists should allow additional time to reach destinations when using the bridge on weekdays.

Next Steps

The alternating travel restrictions will enable the project contractor – Anselmi & DeCicco, Inc. of Maplewood, N.J. – and its subcontractors to complete an assortment of remaining rehabilitation project tasks.

The work will involve removal of temporary construction platform/debris containment from beneath the bridge, completion of architectural lighting installation, calibrating and adjusting the new lights, and applying touch-up paint where needed.

“Punch-list” work is then expected to follow, including further testing, calibrating, and programming of the bridge’s architectural lighting system.

State Line

One other detail will be the state line designation along the bridge’s walkway. Due to the composition of the bridge’s new slip-resistant foam-core fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) walkway panels, paint will not adhere well to the surface. As a result, the walkway’s railing will
be utilized to connote the state line’s location. Two railing sections and one support post are colored differently for this purpose. Signs will be installed at the location to mark the respective states. Dividend: the new state-line designation will be more conducive for taking family and group photographs.

Architectural Lighting

Testing and adjusting of the bridge’s new color-programmable LED lighting system will take place on various nights in the coming weeks.

More information on the bridge lighting system – including the establishment of a specific information webpage – should become available sometime in March.

Final completion of the project is expected to be reached in the spring. As per past practice, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission – the bridge’s owner – plans to hold a ceremony to formally rededicate the completed bridge at some point after the onset of warmer weather.

The bridge is illuminated in red during a test of its new LED lighting system. (Jeff Werner/Patch)