NJDOT reopens closed Interstate 195 westbound travel lane over the NJ Turnpike in Mercer County
Detailed tests provide assurance that vehicles can safely operate on all overpass travel lanes
(Trenton) - NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson announced that the Department will tonight reopen a westbound travel lane on an I-195 overpass in Mercer County and keep it open until traffic is shifted to a new overpass that is nearing completion.
The move restores all four travel lanes on the overpass, two in each direction.
NJDOT crews will remove the barriers that have blocked traffic from the outermost westbound lane of the overpass starting tonight after the evening rush. The lane will be reopened well before tomorrow’s morning rush.
Sophisticated load testing of the beams that support the overpass has revealed that the structure is safe for all vehicles on all lanes. The Department closed the outer westbound travel lane on the overpass two weeks ago out of an abundance of caution after a truck traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike crashed and burned directly under the overpass.
A new I-195 overpass, adjacent to the overpass damaged by the truck fire, is being built in connection with the widening of the Turnpike from three lanes in each direction to six lanes at this location. That project is currently scheduled for completion in about two months.
The new overpass sustained no damage. When the new overpass is completed, traffic will be shifted onto it and the damaged overpass will be demolished, in accordance with the widening project plans.
I-195 is the major east-west highway serving all of central New Jersey and is heavily used by state workers who travel to their Trenton offices each day. The peak travel direction is westbound on I-195 in the mornings and eastbound each afternoon.
Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for construction updates and real-time travel information.
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