Route 139 upper level will be shifted onto a temporary roadway this weekend as part of Pulaski Contract 2

Eastbound traffic will be diverted during construction

(Trenton) – New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced the Route 139 upper level eastbound will be closed, with traffic shifted to a temporary roadway beginning this weekend as part of the Pulaski Skyway Contract 2.

The Route 139 upper level eastbound will be closed between Central Avenue and Palisade Avenue beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday, October 5, with traffic diverted to the newly constructed temporary roadway.

Motorists traveling eastbound will be directed onto Central Avenue to Hoboken Avenue to the temporary roadway. Left turns onto Oakland, Baldwin, and Palisades avenues will be allowed.

The shift to the temporary roadway will allow NJDOT’s contractor, Schiavone Construction, to demolish the existing upper level roadway, which will be reconstructed. Later this fall, Oakland and Palisade avenues will be closed so the bridges over the lower level of Route 139 can be replaced.

The project includes complete floorbeam and deck replacement, south column replacement, and the installation of highway lighting and traffic signals. Route 139 Lower Level work also includes drainage improvements and substructure repairs. This phase of the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.

Upper Level Westbound
The westbound upper level will have single lane closures Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and overnight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day. On Fridays, work will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and overnight from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. Saturdays. Work on the weekend will take place at night from 8 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday, and Sunday from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. Monday.

Lower Level
The traffic pattern on Route 139 lower level will remain in its current configuration with one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes during the day. Overnight construction will reduce Route 139 westbound to one lane Monday through Thursday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day; Friday and Saturday from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day, and Sunday from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. Monday mornings.

This work is part of the $104 million Pulaski Contract 2, which will repair and improve the upper and lower levels of Route 139. Route 139 links the eastern end of the Pulaski Skyway to the Jersey City waterfront and the Holland Tunnel. During this contract, the deck on Route 139 upper level eastbound will be replaced, along with five cross street bridges from Palisade Avenue to Kennedy Boulevard.

Contract 2 is part of the $1 billion Pulaski Skyway rehabilitation project, which is being advanced through 10 separate construction contracts into the year 2020. The massive improvement project will extend the life of the Skyway by 75 years.

In April 2014, NJDOT began Contract 3, which is the closure of the Pulaski Skyway northbound lanes for two years while the existing deck of the 3.5-mile long structure that carries Route 1&9 traffic is replaced. Two southbound travel lanes will be maintained during this phase of the rehabilitation project.

NJDOT created a project-specific website - www.pulaskiskyway.com - which contains a wealth of information about the Skyway and the project, and will be updated with relevant new information as work progresses. The Department is carefully coordinating the Pulaski Skyway project with other regional transportation infrastructure projects to minimize traffic congestion.

The Department has a hotline telephone number, 973-776-7400, and encourages anyone who has questions, concerns or suggestions to contact the Project Outreach Team as work progresses.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors.  Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information.