Bucks County bound bridge closure from NJ still a go for Monday

🚧 The closure of the lanes headed to PA is scheduled for Monday morning

🚧 The NJ-bound lanes have been closed for nearly a year

🚧 A two-week full closure is planned for later in January

The temporary four hour closure of the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge on Monday is still scheduled despite the forecast of snow.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission on Friday said the closure of the 120 year old bridge for the stress test of a temporary friction collar stabilization device will still take place as scheduled between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The New Jersey-bound lanes have been closed to vehicles since January 2024.

The closure was extended indefinitely when work crews discovered an 18-inch long steel pin that is four inches in diameter located in the bridge’s second span from the Pennsylvania side that was rusted and in danger of failing under a heavy load.

The collar was installed in late November which allowed Pennsylvania-bound vehicle traffic and pedestrians to continue using the bridge. Tension on the collar during Monday's test will be incrementally increased and monitored by electronic sensors called strain gauges attached to various bridge structural components. After the initial tensioning the monitoring will continue for another week.

ALSO READ: Winter Storm Warning: latest update on Monday's southern NJ snow

New Hope-Lambertville Bridge (Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission)

Another longer closure

If the testing is successful permanent repairs will begin that will completely closed the bridge between Jan.13 and Jan.27. The bridge will then reopen to traffic in both directions.

Pennsylvania-bound motorists have three detour options:

The closest alternate river crossing is the New Hope-Lambertville (Route 202) Toll Bridge, one mile north. This is tolled in the PA-bound direction.
The closest non-toll option is the Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge, 3.3 miles north.
Downriver the closest option is the Washington Crossing Bridge (narrow) 6.9 miles south.

Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow is calling for about two inches of snow to accumulate from the snow that will begin falling after midnight Monday morning. Lower Bucks County is under a Winter Weather Advisory from the National Weather Service between 1 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday.