Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge Near-Term Improvements

The Commission is set to shut down the Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic for 46 days effective 6 a.m. Monday, August 9, for the execution of a series of near-term repairs and improvements on and around the bridge.  The suggested detour route may be viewed by clicking here.  A press release announcing the date for the 46-day closure may be viewed by clicking here.  A revised project fact sheet is available by clicking here.

The work is expected to include a variety of elements - most notably a series of repairs in the vicinity of the bridge's Pennsylvania abutment and wingwalls, which are exhibiting severe bulging. Because this work will necessitate a 46-day shutdown of the bridge's vehicular lanes to carry out the work, the Commission plans to utilize the closing as an opportunity to make additional improvements to the bridge.

A draft concept study for the project was completed in the spring of 2009.  The Commission then kicked off a public involvement process to gather comment about the proposed project and how the repairs and related construction activities should get staged and scheduled. This public outreach effort included direct meetings with stakeholders (elected officials, business owners, etc.), project updates - such as this one - on the Commission's Web site, and public open houses in Hopewell Township, N.J. and Upper Makefield, PA.

Based partly on that process, the Commission in March 2010 confirmed that it would employ a complete shutdown for the project and that the construction activities would take place during the later portion of the summer.

The Commission said it will utilize the shortest detour-period possible - 46 days - to conduct the project, with the eventual bid-winning contractor expected to perform the work using two-shifts of construction crews working six days a week with no work allowed to take place on Sundays. The Commission said this approach -- presented in the project's public involvement process as Scheduling Option 3 (see below) -- will minimize the length of traffic and economic impacts the project work might cause.

Once initiated on August 9, the Commission expects the bridge closure to remain in place without interruption through Friday, September 24.  The Commission will have a 6.7-mile detour route in place using the Scudder Falls Bridge while the Washington Crossing span is closed to traffic.  Motorists living north of the bridge also may wish to consider using one of the two bridges between New Hope, Pa. and Lambertville, N.J. while the Washington Crossing Bridge is out of service.

While annual inspections indicate the bridge is safe, the examinations show that proactive steps must be taken in the near-term to prevent emergency closures that would cause protracted inconvenience and hardship for bridge patrons, businesses and local residents.

The work is expected to include: Pennsylvania abutment repairs, including backwall and wingwall locations as well as drainage improvements; new tooth-dam expansion joints; aesthetic enhancement of Pier 2 so it appearance conforms with the bridge's other stone piers; pier apron repairs; replacement of the walkway's wooden deck; walkway railing safety improvements; miscellaneous structural steel repairs; repaving of the bridge's approaches; and better signage on the bridge, its approaches and roads leading to the bridge.

In planning for the project, the Commission and its consultants prepared a variety of materials to raise public awareness of the impending project, potential bridge closure periods and traffic detour options.  The material were presented to the public at open houses in Upper Makefield Township, Pa. and Hopewell Township, N.J. on June 4, 2010 and were subsequently posted at this Web site for further.  There materials may be accessed by clicking on the following links:

• Project background
• Project goals
• Pennsylvania abutment repairs
• Superstructure rehabilitation
• More project elements
• Paving plan
• Preferred alternative
• Considered alternative
• Comparison of alternatives
• Scheduling option 1
• Scheduling option 2
• Scheduling option 3
• Detour route

The bridge last underwent an extensive structural rehabilitation in the fall of 1994. As part of that rehabilitation, many truss members were replaced with new fabricated galvanized steel and the floor system members and the open steel grid deck were replaced in the first three bays of each end span. All remaining structural steel was blast cleaned, metalized and painted. A new wooden sidewalk was installed and renovations were made at both approaches to the bridge.

In 2005, a series of deck joint replacements and rehabilitations were made at piers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 for the bridge.

The Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge crosses the Delaware River near the site of General George Washington's historic Christmas Day river crossing of 1776. The bridge connects County Route 546 in Hopewell Township with PA Route 532 in Upper Makefield Township. The bridge is a six-span double Warren truss structure, with a total length of 877 feet. The open steel grid deck provides a clear roadway width of 15 feet between steel channel rub-rails. The down-river side of the truss supports a cantilevered, wood plank pedestrian sidewalk.

The superstructure of the existing bridge was constructed in 1904. The bridge substructure, which is composed of rubble stone-faced masonry, dates to the construction of the first wooden bridge at the location in 1831.

The bridge is currently restricted to a 15-mph speed limit, a 3-ton weight limit, and an 8-foot vertical clearance. In 2009, an average 6,900 vehicle trips were made across the bridge each day.

Members of the public who may have questions or concerns about the project are urged to contact:

Richard McClellan
Director of Community Affairs
(267) 790-1063
rmcclellan@drjtbc.org