30-Minute night-time traffic shutdowns scheduled for Milford-Montague Toll Bridge Friday, Apr. 18

Full lane closures necessary to install new bridge deck panels MILFORD-The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission today announced that the Milford-Montague Toll Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic in both directions for 30-minute periods between 10 p.m. Friday, Apr. 18, and 6 a.m. Saturday, Apr. 19. The bridge closures are necessary to allow for the installation of new roadway deck panels throughout the night, when traffic volumes are extraordinarily low. The maximum length of any traffic stoppage would be 30 minutes. When deck panel installations are completed within an allotted timeframe, the contractor is to reopen the road lanes. All delayed traffic must clear the bridge before the contractor may commence installation of further deck panels. Individuals traveling overnight Friday into Saturday may want to consider using the Dingman Ferry Bridge to the south or the Port Jervis Bridge to the north. 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. 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.