Route 495 lane closures to begin in mid-August as rehabilitation of the Bridge over Route 1&9/Paterson Plank Road begins

Expect severe congestion and delays for next two-and-a-half years

(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced the lane closures necessary as part of the rehabilitation of the Route 495 Bridge over Route 1&9 and Paterson Plank Road in North Bergen are expected to begin in mid-August.

The work is scheduled to start on Friday, August 10, with the closure of the 31st Street ramp from Kennedy Boulevard to Route 495 westbound, with traffic detoured onto Patterson Plank Road. A week later, on Friday, August 17, one lane of Route 495 in each direction will be closed, limiting the roadway capacity and causing severe congestion. NJDOT will provide more detailed information as the start of the lane closures nears.

The exclusive bus lane (XBL) will remain operational during construction. This construction is expected to last for about two and a half years while the entire bridge deck, parapets, light fixtures, guiderail, and drainage are replaced. The entire project is expected to be completed in summer 2021.

The $90.3 million state-funded project began in September 2017 with local street improvements. The work in the first phase, which was necessary before the lane closures could be implemented, has been taking place under the bridge and along the Paterson Plank Road – Union Turnpike corridor.

The project to rehabilitate the nine-span viaduct includes repairs and reconstruction of the bridge deck, replacement and strengthening of deteriorated structural steel, and the repair and painting of the substructure. Construction will be accomplished in stages by first making improvements to local streets in the surrounding areas that will need to handle some of the diverted traffic during bridge construction.

Community Outreach

NJDOT created a project-specific website – www.RestoreNJ495.com; which contains a wealth of information about the Route 495 Bridge rehabilitation, and will be updated with relevant new information as work progresses. The Department is carefully coordinating the Route 495 Bridge rehabilitation project with other regional transportation infrastructure projects to minimize traffic congestion.

The Department has a project hotline telephone number, 201.408.8495, and email, DOTOutreachRT495@dot.nj.gov. Anyone who has questions, concerns, or suggestions is encouraged to contact the Project Outreach Team as work progresses.

NJDOT will be using Variable Message Signs to provide advance notification to motorists of 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 or on the NJDOT Facebook page.