Route 7 westbound overnight closure on Friday night for utility and roadway improvements

Detours necessary as bridge replacement work advances

(Trenton) -New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced the overnight closure on Friday night of Route 7 westbound as the Route 7/Wittpenn Bridge replacement project advances between Kearny and Jersey City in Hudson County.

Beginning at 10:30 p.m., Friday, August 17 until 8 a.m. the next day, NJDOT’s contractor George Harms Construction Co., is scheduled to fully close Route 7 westbound in Jersey City and detour motorists onto Route 1&9 Truck southbound. This closure will allow the contractor to install barriers and restripe the roadway to shift traffic to the left on Route 7 westbound. Route 7 eastbound will remain open.

Once in place, the new traffic shift will require motorists from Fish House Road to begin using a new temporary ramp onto Route 7 westbound. The new configuration will allow for drainage pipe installation, utility work and other roadway improvements. Motorists are advised to expect delays and plan accordingly. The following overnight detour will be in place.

Routes 1&9 Truck southbound/Route 139 westbound to Route 7 westbound detour

• Motorists on Routes 1&9 Truck southbound and Route 139 westbound wishing to continue onto Route 7 westbound over to the Wittpenn Bridge will be directed to stay on Routes 1&9 Truck southbound
• Following detour signs on Routes 1&9 Truck southbound, motorists will bear right (at the Route 440/Communipaw Avenue intersection) and go over the Hackensack River Bridge
• After the bridge, continue on Routes 1&9 Truck southbound
• Make the right to merge onto Central Avenue
• Continue on Central Avenue and make a right onto Pennsylvania Avenue
• Pennsylvania Avenue becomes Fish House Road
• Continue on Fish House Road onto the ramp for Route 7 westbound
  

NJ Turnpike Exit 15W to Jersey City/Holland Tunnel (CR 508 eastbound/Route 7 eastbound) detour

• Motorists on the NJ Turnpike wishing to use Exit 15W for Jersey City and the Holland Tunnel, will be directed to use Exit 15E onto Routes 1&9 Truck northbound to Jersey City
• Continue on Routes 1&9 Truck northbound over the Hackensack River Bridge
• After the bridge, bear left and follow signs to Routes 1&9 Truck northbound
• At the traffic light, make a left onto Routes 1&9 Truck northbound
• Motorists will continue on Routes 1&9 Truck northbound towards Jersey City or Route 139 eastbound towards the Holland Tunnel

In November 2011, NJDOT began construction on the first contract of the $480 million project, to completely replace the existing poor condition 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.

Permanent and 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 or on the NJDOT Facebook page.