New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced the emergency closure of one lane of Route 206 for emergency bridge work over Stony Brook in Princeton resulting in alternating traffic.
A parapet collapsed on the southbound side of the historic stone bridge over Stony Brook, just past Quaker Road, near the Hun School and Jasna Plana Country Club. Traffic on Route 206 has been reduced to one lane with alternating traffic. Motorists can expect congestion and delays through the evening commute.
- Passenger cars are encouraged to use Mercer Road/Princeton Pike as an alternate Route.
- Truck traffic should use Route 1 to I-295.
NJDOT’s contractor will install precast concrete barrier on both the northbound and southbound sides of Route 206 tonight. Once the barrier is in place, Route 206 will be restored to one lane in each direction. However, the barrier will result in narrow lanes requiring trucks to use Route 1 and I–295 until the emergency repairs are complete.
“At 222 years old, the Stony Brook Bridge in Princeton in Mercer County is showing its age. It is rated structurally deficient, with a sufficiency rating of only 38.5 (out of 100). A National Historic Landmark, the bridge is located within the Princeton Battlefield-Stony Brook Settlement Historic District, which was settled between 1686 and 1777. On busy Route 206, located near Quaker Road, the two-lane arch masonry bridge carries an estimated 13,200 vehicles a day. It was reconstructed almost a century ago. The total repair cost for the bridge and its approaches was estimated at about $4.2 million in 2007, the most expensive to fix of the 10 oldest bridges,” according to the 2014 list of “Oldest Bridges” on NJ Spotlight.
For the article, check out this: http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/09/08/the-list-taking-a-tour-of-the-10-oldest-bridges-in-new-jersey/
NJDOT engineers are evaluating the bridge and will design a repair. It is unclear at this time how long it will take to make the repairs. The historic nature of the bridge requires the work must be done using similar construction methods.
NJDOT will be using Variable Message Signs to provide advance notification to motorists of traffic pattern changes associated with the work. The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info.
