Route 206 to be closed through the end of the year for bridge rehabilitation in Princeton

Separate car and truck detours in place during construction

Beginning at approximately 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, July 6 through the fall, NJDOT’s contractor South State, Inc., is scheduled to close Route 206 in both directions near the Stony Brook Bridges between Lovers Lane and Carter Road in Princeton to allow for the reconstruction of the Stone Arch Bridge and the adjacent Flood Channel Bridge.

There will be two detours in place during construction—one for cars and another for trucks. Local access will be maintained for residents and businesses on Route 206, including the Hun School.

In addition, NJ Transit Bus Route 606 will be detoured during the construction, with several stops on Route 206 not being served. For details on alternate stops, go to NJ Transit’s Service Bulletin.

Car Detour

Northbound – From Route 206 north, traffic will be directed to take a left on Carter Road, right on Rosedale Road, and then a right on Elm Road back to Route 206

Southbound – From Route 206 south, traffic will be directed to take a left on Lovers Lane, right on Mercer Road, and a right on Hutchinson Drive back to Route 206.

Truck detour

Northbound – From Route 206 north take I-95 south to Route 31 north to Route 202 north back to Route 206 at the Somerville Circle.

Southbound – From Route 206 south take Route 202 south at the Somerville Circle to Route 31 south to I-95 north back to Route 206.

The $7.4 million state-funded project consists of rehabilitating the historic Stone Arch Bridge over Stony Brook and replacing the adjacent Flood Channel Bridge, both of which are located between Quaker Road near the Hun School and the Jasna Polana Country Club.

The Stone Arch Bridge, constructed in 1792 and widened in 1916, was closed in February 2016 for emergency repairs following a partial parapet collapse. The adjacent Flood Channel Bridge is in poor condition and will be replaced with a single-span bridge. It is being done at the same time as the Stone Arch Bridge rehabilitation to minimize the impact to traffic. The project also includes minor reprofiling of the roadway, drainage improvements, replacement of existing guide rail, slope stabilization, and replacement/relocation of existing utilities.

The project is located within the historic districts of the Princeton Battlefield/Stony Brook Settlement Village and the Kings Highway Districts. NJDOT has worked very closely with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Princeton Historical Preservation Committee (HPC) from the beginning of the emergency repair in February 2016, throughout the design process, and will continue to do so during construction with archaeological monitoring and documentation taking place.

Portable and overhead 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 NJDOT's traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info.