Bridge Repair Work Continues In Princeton Friday Night

PRINCETON, NJ — An alternating traffic pattern that began Thursday night continues Friday night in Princeton, police said Friday night. Route 206 will once again have an alternating traffic pattern, between 9 p.m. Friday night and 8 a.m. Saturday morning. The pattern is so that permanent repairs to the Route 206 Bridges over Stony Brook can advance with the dismantling of the parapet by South State Inc.

The bridge has a posted weight limit of 20 tons and the following truck detour will continue for both directions of Route 206 until permanent repairs are complete:

Northbound: From Route 206 north take I-95 south to Route 31 north to Route 202 north back to Route 206 at the Somerville Circle.

Southbound: From Route 206 south take Route 202 south at the Somerville Circle to Route 31 south to I-95 north back to Route 206.

Later this summer, Route 206 will be closed completely with a detour in place through the end of the year to allow for the reconstruction of the Stone Arch Bridge and the adjacent Flood Channel Bridge. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) will provide details on the closure and detour before it is implemented.

The project consists of rehabilitating the historic Stone Arch Bridge over Stony Brook and replacing the adjacent Flood Channel Bridge, both of which are located between Quaker Road near the Hun School and the Jasna Polana Country Club.

The Stone Arch Bridge, built in 1792 and widened in 1916, was closed in February 2016 for emergency repairs following a partial parapet collapse. At that time, a weight limit of 20 tons was put into place with a truck detour, which will remain throughout construction.

The adjacent Flood Channel Bridge is in poor condition and will be replaced with a single-span bridge. It is being done at the same time as the Stone Arch Bridge rehabilitation to minimize the impact to traffic.

The project also includes minor reprofiling of the roadway, drainage improvements, replacement of existing guide rail, slope stabilization, and replacement/relocation of existing utilities.

Variable Message Signs will be used to provide advance notification to drivers of traffic pattern changes associated with the work.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Drivers 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.

Patch file photo