Route 7 and Fish House Road ramp and lane closures required for Wittpenn Bridge Project
Traffic shift and utility work necessary
as construction advances
(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced the weekend closure of the ramp from Fish House Road to Route 7 eastbound, and several weeks of alternating lane closures on Fish House Road, as the Route 7/Wittpenn Bridge replacement project advances between Kearny and Jersey City in Hudson County.
Beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, December 2, until 3:30 p.m. Sunday, December 4, NJDOT’s contractor, Union Paving and Construction, Inc., will close the ramp from Fish House Road to Route 7 eastbound for the removal of a low median curb and installation of a concrete construction barrier. The barrier will establish a new temporary work zone on the south side of Route 7 eastbound. There also will be single left lane closures on Route 7 eastbound and westbound in the vicinity of Fish House Road.
The following detour will be in place from 10 p.m. Friday, December 2, until 3:30 p.m. Sunday, December 4:
From Fish House Road to Route 7 eastbound:
• Motorists on Fish House Road wishing to head east on Route 7 towards Jersey City will take Route 7 westbound for 0.8 miles to the next interchange
• At the next interchange, motorist will follow the second ramp marked "Route 7 East/ Routes 1&9 North/Jersey City" back onto Route 7 eastbound
In addition, beginning on Monday, December 5, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and continuing weekdays for several weeks, NJDOT’s contractor will close alternating lanes on Fish House Road between the Route 7 Wittpenn overpass and south of the PATH Bridge for utility work. Motorists are advised to expect delays and plan accordingly.
In November 2011, NJDOT began construction on the first contract of the $480 million project, to completely replace the existing structurally deficient Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge over the Hackensack River with a new, wider vertical lift bridge. Construction of the new bridge is being accomplished in five separate contracts. The first two contracts that built the river piers, fender system and the east approach spans for the new vertical lift bridge have been completed. The third and fourth contracts of construction that will build the west approach spans, the Fish House Road Pump Station, advance utilities, embankment and the new vertical lift bridge span & towers are currently under construction. The new bridge is expected to be open to traffic in 2019.
Portable variable message signs are being utilized to provide advance notification to the 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 NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info.
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