COMMISSION ANNOUNCES SUSPENSION OF SHUTTLE SERVICE FOR BICYCLISTS AT MILFORD-MONTAGUE TOLL BRIDGE
With peak vacation season over & ridership ebbing, Commission to end service Sept. 28

Contact: Joe Donnelly or Pete Peterson
267-790-1010 or 215-893-4297

MILFORD, PA- The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced today that the last day of the free summer-season shuttle service for pedestrians and bicyclists at the Milford-Montague Toll Bridge will be Sunday, September 28.

The commission launched the shuttle service in May 2008 to coincide with the start of the summer tourism season in the region. With the onset of construction activities at the bridge in February, prudence and the safety of bicyclists and motorists dictated that the Commission suspend public access to the bridge's walkway -- where bicycles are normally allowed to be walked across the bridge - because it was part of an active construction zone. The shuttle service was put in place during the summer months to accommodate bicycle traffic during the peak vacation and tourism season in the area.

The Milford -Montague rehabilitation project is projected to cost $19.1 million and take until Memorial Day 2009 to reach substantial completion. The Commission's contractor is replacing the bridge's precast concrete deck panels, replacing deteriorated supporting stringers and blast-cleaning and painting the entire steel superstructure. The Pennsylvania and New Jersey approaches and shoulders will be repaired and or replaced and additional signage will be installed on the approaches. The existing toll plaza also will be replaced with two new booths and a dedicated E-ZPass lane.

To facilitate the work, the Commission earlier this month announced the resumption of alternating lane closures on the bridge. The bridge rehabilitation contract also allows intermittent temporary closures of both traffic lanes on the bridge for maximum 15-minute durations between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and for maximum 30-minute durations between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Work crews are required to sufficiently clear traffic queues between bridge-closure periods.

Motorists may encounter delays because of the lane shutdown and intermittent bridge closures.

Traffic signals are in place on the bridge to control alternating lanes of traffic through the work zone. For safety reasons the speed limit in both direction has been reduced to 25 MPH. Additionally, due to the limited lane widths during construction, wide loads and permit loads are not allowed while the bridge deck is being replaced. The traffic restrictions are expected to remain in place into next May.

Members of the public who may have questions or concerns about the project are urged to call a specific phone hotline number the Commission has established to handle such inquiries - 1-888-203-7690.

The Milford-Montague Toll Bridge is the northern-most bridge crossing the Delaware River under the Commission's jurisdiction. Located seven miles south of the New Jersey/New York state line, the bridge connects U.S. Route 206 at Montague, N.J. to U.S. Routes 6 and 209 at Milford, Pa. The bridge's average daily traffic was 8,400 vehicles in 2007.

About the Commission

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission was formed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey in 1934. It operates seven toll bridges and 13 toll-supported bridges, two of which are pedestrian-only spans. The Commission's jurisdiction extends along the Delaware River from the Philadelphia-Bucks County line north to the New Jersey/New York border. Its bridges carried more than 141 million cars and trucks in 2007. For more information about the Commission and its various initiatives to deliver safer and more convenient bridge travel for its customers, please see: www.drjtbc.org.

"Preserving Our Past, Enhancing Our Future"