New Hope-Lambertville toll bridge closed to all traffic for 2 weeks for repairs
The New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge is shutting down to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic for two weeks on Monday, the latest phase in a months-long project to repair a structural issue that was first detected last fall.
The bridge will close at 6 a.m. on Jan. 13 in both directions. The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission expects the closure to end no later than Monday, Jan. 27.
When the greater rehabilitation project began nearly a year ago, the bridge was closed to New Jersey-bound traffic and pedestrian crossings were restricted to a temporary walkway.
Officials initially said they expected to reopen the 120-year-old bridge in the fall of 2024, but crews found a steel pin that supported a critical joint on the bridge had rusted and deteriorated so much it made the bridge unsafe for heavy loads. In September, officials said they expected the bridge closer to continue for "several more months."
The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission said the steel pin, which is four inches wide and 18 inches long, supports a "critical joint of 11 structural steel members on the bridge's second truss span from the Pennsylvania side."
The construction comes just as New Hope and Lambertville kick off their first-ever restaurant week, which is set to run during the same two weeks of the bridge closure. More than 20 restaurants from both sides of the river are participating, and will offer special pricing on prix fixe lunch and/or dinner menus.
Alternative routes
Drivers traveling into New Jersey will continue to be detoured a mile north to the New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge, which doesn't require a toll in the New Jersey-bound direction.
Drivers traveling into Pennsylvania can cross at the same New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge, but will need to pay the PA-bound toll. The Class 1 toll for personal vehicles is $1.50 for E-ZPass and $3 for toll by plate.
Other options include the non-toll Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge and Washington Crossing Bridge.
Shuttles are also available for bridge walkway pedestrians, from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. daily, with extended service on Friday and Saturday nights between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Riders departing from New Hope can pick up the shuttle on the northbound side of North Main Street by park benches near the PNC Bank and Starbucks.
Those catching the shuttle in Lambertville will load at the Pennsylvania-bound side of Bridge Street near the former Black River and Western Railroad crossing and Princeton Bank building.