The Route 1 northbound bridge in North Brunswick was finally reopened Jan. 21 after almost two days of emergency repairs.
N.J. Department of Transportation (NJDOT) acting Commissioner James S. Simpson said that the bridge over an abandoned Conrail line on the opposite side of College Farm Road was reopened at 2:30 p.m. last Thursday after NJDOT had to expedite permanent repairs to a bridge pier to minimize impact to motorists.
The bridge had been closed to traffic as a safety precaution on Jan. 19.
“NJDOT staff and contractors worked around the clock to return this vital bridge to service,” Simpson said. “We know it was a terrible inconvenience for motorists, and we apologize for that, but safety is always our foremost concern.”
The northbound span carries about 4,500 vehicles per hour during peak periods. The bridge pier was reinforced with stabilizing supports that will remain in place until the bridge and its twin that carries southbound traffic are replaced later this year.
Completion of the stabilization work allowed NJDOT to restore capacity to three through lanes of traffic, including two lanes over the span and one utilizing a parallel access road. That pattern is mirrored on the southbound span and accommodates an ongoing construction project to replace both the northbound and southbound bridges.
The stabilization supports have required NJDOT to temporarily close a local road that crosses under the bridge. As a result, motorists using access roads parallel to Route 1 will not be able to make left turns to cross under the highway. NJDOT expects to reopen the underpass this summer when work on the new bridges has advanced sufficiently to do so.
NJDOT will continue to monitor the bridges throughout the ongoing $24.1 million replacement project. Construction is expected to be completed in the summer of 2011.