DRJTBC staff, engineers have detected some damage to one of the bridge’s piers.
By Ruth Luse
After reopening Wednesday at about 2 p.m., the bridge connecting Titusville and Washington Crossing, Pa. was closed again Thursday night.
Thinking the waters might rise again in the Delaware River as a result of expected rain Thursday night and Friday (today), the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) announced late Thursday that "as a public safety precaution," the bridge would close at 9 p.m. and remain closed for "an indefinite period of time."
Today (Friday) Hopewell Township police Capt. George Meyer said the Washington Crossing Bridge will remain closed indefinitely, because of a problem detected after Monday’s flood waters began to recede.
Capt. Meyer’s comments were followed by a Friday afternoon DRJTBC press release that said: "Inspections of the bridge following this week’s flood conditions detected damage to a 3-by-8-foot section of one of the bridge’s piers."
Earlier Friday, Joe Salaga, superintendent of bridges, said the problem involves the "first pier on the Jersey side of the bridge," where some stone work is missing.
Mr. Salaga said the river’s waters, which are dirty and still moving fast, will have to recede another 8-10 feet before "we can see down to the footings," something inspectors plan to do before the bridge is reopened.
As a precaution, "we want to see if there is any more damage" to the pier, Mr. Salaga said, adding that divers would help conduct inspections.
"The commission is concerned that there may be some structural damage to the pier," said Frank McCartney, DRJTBC executive director. "But to make that determination, we need to conduct a visual inspection of the pier, an effort that will likely require us to send a diver into the river. Unfortunately, that is not possible at this time given the low visibility underwater and the strength of the river currents. As a result, the bridge will remain closed until the river recedes and its velocity decreases, allowing us to conduct the necessary inspections.
"The commission is concerned that additional damage to the pier may be present below the surface. The visibility and height of the river make that impossible to determine at this time. Once the water level has receded and the high velocity of the currents has subsided, the commission will conduct further inspections of the bridge to determine the need, if any, for structural repairs.
" If structural repairs are not required, the bridge will be reopened. The commission will be posting detours in place to help guide motorists to alternative routes," the release said.
The commission is not certain what caused the damage, but, said the release, "there are reports that the damage to the pier was caused by a large trash dumpster that was propelled into the pier by river currents reaching as high as 35 mph."
The superstructure of the bridge was built in 1904. The substructures of the bridge, including the piers, are composed of rubble stone-faced masonry, and date to 1831. The commission completed the regrouting of the joints and masonry piers of the bridge in 1995. An estimated 7,400 vehicles utilize the bridge each day.
The commission operates seven toll and 11 vehicular and two pedestrian toll-supported (free) bridges along the Delaware River from Trenton-Morrisville to the New York border. These bridges carry more than 135 million cars and trucks each year. For more information about the commission, see: www.drjtbc.org.