Route 15 southbound bridge to be fully reopened to traffic this week in Wharton
Bridge deck replacement over abandoned railroad completed, bridge approaches to be resurfaced later this spring
(Trenton) - NJDOT officials today announced that the Route 15 southbound bridge over the abandoned Mt. Hope Mineral railroad in Wharton Borough, Morris County has been reconstructed and will be fully reopened to traffic this week.
NJDOT’s contractor, Konkus Corp., began the $1.7 million project to replace the structurally deficient bridge deck and parapets at this location in August 2012. The deck replacement work was accomplished in two stages - half the bridge at a time - both of which required that Route 15 southbound be reduced from four travel lanes over the bridge to two travel lanes to accommodate a safe and efficient construction zone. The lane reduction allowed for the work to be done faster than conventionally staged construction.
Following final striping operations on the bridge tonight, the Route 15 southbound structure is slated to be reopened to the full, four lane configuration by 6 a.m. on Friday, February 22. The reopening of the bridge to full capacity will restore the full connection with Interstate 80, located just to the south of the bridge.
The contractor will resurface Route 15 southbound on either side of the bridge between Parker Road and the I-80 interchange later this spring, with the project anticipated to be complete in late-spring 2013.
Motorists are also encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for construction updates and real-time travel information.
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