NJDOT announces weekend
closure of Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge

(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) today announced the upcoming weekend closure of the Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge, which connects Jersey City and Kearny over the Hackensack River in Hudson County. The closure will enable NJDOT to prepare for an $8.3 million interim repair project on the Wittpenn Bridge.

On Friday night, May 15 at 10 p.m., NJDOT will close Route 7 for preliminary bridge work and inspection of the vertical lift bridge over the Hackensack River. Route 7 will remain closed to until 5 a.m. on Monday morning, May 18.

During the overnight closures, Route 7 traffic will use the following detours:

• Route 7 eastbound traffic will take Fish House Road to Pennsylvania Avenue to Central Avenue to Route 1&9T northbound to Route 7 at Charlotte Avenue.
• Route 7 westbound traffic will take Route 1&9T southbound to Central Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue to Fish House Road to Route 7.

Significant construction on the interim repair project will begin in June. The interim repair project will provide structural and mechanical repairs and safety and operational improvements to the Route 7 Wittpenn vertical lift bridge. The project will require night time single lane closures in each direction and also weekday overnight and weekend full roadway/bridge closures with detours. The bridge will remain open to traffic weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. throughout construction, but traffic shifts and lane closures may occur overnight and on weekends. The bridge will be closed to marine traffic from June 8 through July 22. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2009.

NJDOT plans to replace the existing structurally deficient Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge with a new, wider structure in summer 2010. The bridge replacement project is currently in the design phase. NJDOT will invest $13 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding in order to accelerate the design of the new bridge.

NJDOT has installed variable message signs on Route 7 to inform motorists of all traffic pattern changes. Real time travel and construction information is available online at www.511nj.org.