NEW HOPE — Work-site setup and project mobilization activities are scheduled to begin this week for a multi-faceted rehabilitation project at the Lumberville-Raven Rock Toll-Supported Pedestrian Bridge between Hunterdon County and Bucks County, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced Friday.
The project, when fully under way, will necessitate a two-month shutdown of the bridge to public use. The bridge closure, however, is not scheduled to take effect until early March. For now, project crews will be engaged in work-site preparations. The contractor — James J. Anderson Construction Company, Inc., of Philadelphia — will begin setting up field trailers on the bridge’s New Jersey side soon.. Signs warning of the impending project and shutdown also are expected to be installed toward the end of this week.
Meanwhile, a major subcontractor for the project – Jupiter Painting – is expected to begin installation of a work platform and containment system after President’s Day. A firm date for the shutdown of the bridge’s walkway will be announced later this month. When the walkway is closed to public use, it will remain shut down for at least eight weeks. The commission’s goal is to have the bridge fully reopened in advance of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
”This is one of the Commission’s most revered and unique bridges and we look forward to getting the structure back into a state of condition that will be a source of pride for everyone,” said Arnold J. Conoline, the commission’s acting executive director. “To achieve this aim, we will have to close the bridge. We ask that walkers, bicyclists and sightseers take heed of the impending shutdown and plan accordingly in the months ahead.”
Anticipated tasks associated with the rehabilitation project include repairs to the bridge deck and its approach sidewalks, superstructure repairs associated with steel deterioration, and upgrades to the lighting system, signing and fencing. The bridge also will be blast cleaned and painted. Other tasks will include repairs to the pier caps, treatment of the bridge abutments and wingwalls, and replacement of a retaining wall adjacent to the bridge’s Pennsylvania abutment. The project is part of the commission’s Capital Improvement Program, which is funded solely by tolls collected at the commission’s seven toll bridges, as the commission receives no federal or state support.
The footbridge rehabilitation project originally was scheduled to take place during late summer/fall2012, but construction was postponed as a result of a public involvement program the commission conducted during the project’s design phase last year. Area business owners who attended an open house on the project plans said they would encounter financial hardships if construction occurred during summer and fall, when area tourism peaks. To accommodate the business owners, a late winter/early spring construction scheduled with an uninterrupted closure of the bridge was adopted as a more acceptable alternative. The bridge shutdown also enabled the commission to reduce the project’s anticipated costs.
The Lumberville-Raven Rock Toll-Supported Pedestrian Bridge is one of two pedestrian-only crossings operated by the commission. The bridge links the Lumberville section of Solebury Township (Pennsylvania) with the Raven Rock section of Delaware Township (New Jersey). Constructed by John A. Roebling and Sons Company, the picturesque suspension bridge is accessible from canal footpaths on both sides of the river. It is frequently used by bicyclists, walkers, sightseers, and visitors to the adjacent Bulls Island State Park in New Jersey. It also is a favorite subject for area photographers and painters.
The commission has created a specific webpage to provide the public with additional information about the project: www.drjtbc.org/lumbervillerehab.

