Route 31 lane closure required for traffic shift on bridge over CSX railroad in Mercer County

Bridge rehabilitation project nearing completion

(Trenton) -New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced a temporary lane closure for a traffic shift on Route 31 northbound as the Route 31 over CSX railroad Bridge replacement project nears completion in Mercer County.

Beginning at 9 p.m. tonight, Friday, October 5, until 6 a.m. Monday, October 8, NJDOT’s contractor Ritacco Construction Inc., is scheduled to close a lane on Route 31 northbound to move traffic barriers and restripe the roadway on the bridge between Hopewell and Pennington. Traffic will be shifted approximately four feet to the left on Route 31 northbound while work continues for approximately two weeks on the northbound sidewalk, curb and guiderail. Once the remaining work is completed, final paving and striping will be required. At least one lane will be maintained in each direction during construction.

NJDOT has designed this federally-funded $13.6 million bridge replacement project to be completed in stages. The project started in summer 2016, and is expected to be completed this fall. The northbound side of the bridge was reconstructed first, followed by a traffic shift onto the new bridge to reconstruct the southbound side of the bridge. One 11-foot lane of traffic is being maintained in each direction during construction. NJDOT has been coordinating with the CSX railroad on this project.

Variable message signs and lane closure signs are being utilized throughout the project limits to provide advance notification to motorists of all traffic pattern changes associated with the project. During construction, NJDOT provided advanced information prior to any significant scheduled road closures.

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 construction updates and real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info or on the NJDOT Facebook page.