Route 1 southbound to be closed
overnight this weekend as work on
Route 18 over Route 1 continues

Several lane and ramp closures also necessary

(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced Route 1 southbound will be closed overnight this weekend, as well as several lanes and ramps as the replacement of the Route 18 Bridge over Route 1 in New Brunswick, Middlesex County advances.  

Motorists are advised to expect delays and may want to plan alternate routes.

Route 1 Closures
Route 1 southbound will have a single lane closed beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, and will be completely closed from 12:01 a.m. until 8 a.m. Saturday, July 11, when one lane will reopen. All lanes of traffic will be opened by 9 a.m. Saturday.

On Saturday, a single lane on Route 1 southbound will be closed beginning at 10 p.m., and the road will be completely closed from 12:01 a.m. until 8 a.m. Sunday, July 12, when one lane will reopen. All lanes of traffic will be opened by 10 a.m. Sunday.

Traffic will be detoured onto Route 18 northbound to Route 27 to Route 18 southbound and to Route 1 southbound during the full closure.

This is the first of three weekends in which Route 1 southbound will be closed to allow the Route 18 Bridge over the southbound lanes of Route 1 to be demolished and reconstructed. The other closures are scheduled to take place the weekends of July 24 and August 7.

Route 18 closures
In addition to the closures on Route 1, beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, July 10, until 5 a.m. Monday, July 13, NJDOT’s contractor Anselmi & DeCicco will close one lane of Route 18 southbound and two lanes of Route 18 northbound to initiate a new traffic pattern.

Two lanes of traffic will be maintained in each direction on Route 18 throughout the weekend except during periods of brief stoppages (approximately 15 minutes) during demolition and erection of the bridge and during nighttime hours (see below for details).

Route 18 northbound traffic will be split: one lane will remain on the northbound side and one lane will use the southbound side via a temporary crossover. During nighttime hours, one lane of traffic shall be maintained for Route 18 northbound and two lanes for Route 18 southbound.

Throughout the next several months, there will be additional lane and ramp closures, as well as traffic patterns shifts, at the Route 18 and Route 1 interchange. NJDOT will announce any closures before they are implemented.

The scheduled closures and detours for this weekend are as follows:

Route 1 southbound Full Roadway Closure Detour:
Route 1 southbound will be closed from 12:01 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday, and from 12:01 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday.

• Motorists traveling on Route 1 southbound will be directed to Route 18 northbound
• Traffic wishing to continue to Route 1 southbound or Route 18 southbound must stay right and use the Route 18 service road
• Take the exit for Route 27 south and take the first exit to Johnson Drive
• Take the first exit to Route 18 southbound to Route 1 southbound

Route 1 southbound to Route 18 southbound Detour:
Route 18 southbound left lane and the ramp from Route 1 southbound to Route 18 southbound will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

• Motorists traveling on Route 1 southbound to Route 18 southbound will be directed to continue south and exit at the Ryders Lane interchange to Route 1 northbound to Route 18 southbound. 
• When Route 1 southbound is closed completely, motorists will need to use the detour outlined above utilizing Route 18 northbound and the U-Turn at Route 27.

Route 1 northbound to Route 18 northbound Detour:
Route 18 northbound left and center lanes, and the ramp from Route 1 northbound to Route 18 northbound will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

• Motorists traveling from Route 1 northbound to Route 18 northbound will be detoured to the Woodbridge Avenue interchange to Route 1 southbound to Route 18 northbound.

Route 18 northbound to Route 1 southbound Detour:
Route 18 northbound left and center lanes and the ramp from Route 18 northbound to Route 1 southbound will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday, and from 10 p.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. Sunday.

• Motorists traveling from Route 18 northbound to Route 1 southbound will be detoured to Route 1 northbound to the Woodbridge Avenue interchange to Route 1 Southbound.

The $30 million bridge replacement project is utilizing accelerated bridge construction techniques to minimize impact to motorists. This involves the use of rapidly deployed moveable construction barrier curb and prefabricated bridge deck. The project is expected to be completed by June 2016.

Portable variable message signs are being utilized to provide advance notification to the motoring public of all traffic pattern changes associated with the work. The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check www.511nj.org for real-time travel information.