Route 139 westbound overnight lane closures this weekend as emergency bridge repairs near completion in Jersey City
One of two closed lanes to reopen before Monday morning commute
(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced the permanent repairs to a section of Route 139 westbound that was damaged by a fire are nearing completion in Jersey City. This weekend there will be a series of overnight lane closures in order to reopen one of two lanes that have been closed since late September.
A fire on September 29 underneath the ramp for Route 139 westbound near Coles Street in Jersey City caused substantial structural damage to six longitudinal beams and the underside of the bridge deck, which is made up of steel and concrete. NJDOT and contractor crews completed emergency repairs and were able to have four out of five lanes of traffic open by October 2. The left two lanes were closed for repairs and the shoulder has been utilized as a travel lane since that time. NJDOT and contractor crews have been working 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week since October to complete the permanent repairs.
Overnight Weekend Closures
Beginning tonight from 1 a.m. until 8 a.m. Saturday, December 2, the single left lane currently open to traffic will be closed to remove construction barrier, which will be replaced by barrels and cones. Three lanes of traffic will be maintained overnight while the work is taking place.
On Sunday, December 3 from 1 a.m. until 8 a.m. two of the four lanes currently open will be closed. Work will begin on the left two lanes and the shift to the right two lanes to remove the temporary striping. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained overnight while the work is taking place.
On Monday, December 4 from 1 a.m. until 6 a.m. two of the four lanes will be closed. Work will begin on the left two lanes and the shift to the right two lanes to restripe the lanes into the final configuration. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained overnight while the work is taking place.
The permanent repairs include the complete reconstruction of the portion of the structure damaged by the fire, consisting of replacing nearly all of the beams under three spans of the bridge deck from the left shoulder through the second lane, as well as replacing the bridge deck in that section.
Route 139 eastbound toward downtown Jersey City and the Holland Tunnel is not affected.
NJDOT, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, NJ Transit, regional transportation agencies and local officials will continue to work together to mitigate congestion and to provide advance notification to motorists of all traffic pattern changes associated with the emergency repairs.
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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