The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission is investing more than $100 million in a multi-year project to widen, rehabilitate and improve the US Route 1 Toll Bridge over the Delaware River and its approaches in Trenton, NJ and Morrisville, PA.
Construction began in late 2006 and is expected to be completed in late 2009. Work will be completed in stages and lane closers will be limited to non-peak travel hours to help minimize the project's impact on commuters.
What will be done on the bridge...
The existing five lane structure, with three lanes southbound and two lanes northbound, will be rebuilt from the top of the piers up. The old concrete deck and its reinforcing steel will be removed and replaced. Steel deck beams and other structural components will be refurbished, cleaned and repainted.
The 1,325-foot long bridge will be widened to include a new northbound auxiliary lane. Widening will be accomplished without significant disturbance to the waterway by building out the tops of the bridge's eleven piers and two abutments to add approximately six feet of new bridge deck on both the upstream and downstream sides.
Widening will enhance traffic flow and safety on the bridge by providing an off-only lane for traffic exiting Route 1 at the Route 29 Interchange in Trenton. This will allow two lanes of northbound through traffic to flow unimpeded into New Jersey and the busy complex of interchanges that serve the New Jersey Capital and points east.
Northbound widening will require that the Route 29 off-ramp be modified so that it aligns with the new auxiliary lane. Modifications to this ramp also will require construction of a new, small structure adjacent to the existing ramp.
What will be done on the approaches...
Other improvements in New Jersey include modifications to the Warren Street southbound on-ramp that will increase the amount of acceleration distance for motorists merging onto the bridge. The approach roadway also will be reconstructed from approximately the Broad Street overpass south. Several smaller Route 1 bridges and ramp structures within the work area will be refurbished, cleaned and repainted as well.
On the Pennsylvania side, a new Toll Plaza will be built in the southbound direction. The new plaza will have five collection booths, two EZ Pass only, three EZ Pass and cash, and will include a service tunnel for the bridge's collection staff.
Ramps at the Pennsylvania Avenue Interchange in Morrisville will be reconstructed and lengthened to provide increased acceleration and deceleration space for traffic exiting and entering Route 1. In addition, the southbound on-and off-ramps will be realigned to straighten the curves that currently exist. Additional deceleration space will be added to the northbound off-ramp by modifying the viaduct that runs over the Delaware Canal and Conrail tracks south of the interchange.
Noise walls will be built along the northbound on-ramp, and along the north side of Route 1 from the interchange to the bridge atop the existing retaining wall that runs parallel to Moreau Street. That wall will be rehabilitated, and trees and shrubs will be planted on the bridge right-of-way that runs along the base of the wall.
Pennsylvania Avenue will be repaved between Market and Green streets. Lighting and signing on the bridge and its approaches also will be upgraded.
What motorists can expect...
Motorists who use the span and its connecting ramps and roadways will encounter off-peak weekday, overnight, and weekend lane restrictions along the entire work zone. The work area runs from the southern side of the Canal/Conrail viaduct in Pennsylvania to about 500 feet north of the Broad Street overpass in New Jersey, a distance of approximately 6,500 feet.
During peak hours, which are outlined below, there will be two lanes in each direction. Available lanes will be narrower than normal, reduced from 12 to 10 1/2 feet across. At all other times, the contractor has the option to close a lane in either or both directions. A minimum of four southbound toll booths will remain open at all times during construction.
Peak hours are...
Northbound M-F 5:30 am to 9:30 am
Northbound & Southbound M-F 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Northbound Sat. Noon to 5 pm
Construction Stages...
The Trenton-Morrisville Route 1 Toll Bridge project will be rebuilt in three major Stages, plus a minor Prep Stage and a Final Stage.
Prep Stage construction is expected to be in full-swing by early January and is scheduled to be completed in February 2007. During this stage, which will prepare the work zone for Stage 1's major construction, crews will install signing and environmental controls, shift traffic to the outside edges, set concrete construction barrier, removeg the existing median, reinforce the median pavement and paint new traffic lines.
Stage 1 is expected to begin in February 2007 and finish in March 2008. This stage will complete the improvements on the Route 1 northbound side of the work area and includes construction of the new Toll Plaza.
Stage 2 is estimated to begin in March 2008 and finish in January 2009. This stage will complete the improvements on the Route 1 southbound side of the work area.
Stage 3 is estimated to begin in February 2009 and finish in September 2009. This stage will complete the improvements to the Route 1 center-third of the work area.
Final Stage is expected to begin in October 2009 and finish in December 2009. Remaining bridge cleaning and repainting, landscaping and general clean up will be done during this stage.