FRENCHTOWN, NJ – The noisiest aspect of the Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Toll-Supported Bridge Rehabilitation Project is expected to begin next week and continue for several months, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced today.
The project contractor is in the throes of completing paint and debris containment measures on the bridge’s first two spans from the New Jersey side. This preparatory step for blast cleaning of the bridge’s steel work is expected to be finished by Saturday – weather permitting.
To remove the bridge’s current paint coatings, sandblasting of the enshrouded New Jersey-side trusses is scheduled to begin on or about Monday, April 7. To carry out this work, two pieces of noisy equipment will be positioned near both ends of the bridge.
On the New Jersey side, a vacuum dust collector will be positioned near the bridge monitor’s shelter. This will be a temporary location for this equipment. Once the two New Jersey-side spans get cleaned and repainted, this equipment will be moved to the bridge’s less-populated Pennsylvania side.
The noisiest equipment for the paint-removal process will be a recycler. This piece of equipment separates dislodged paint chips and dust from the blast shot used in the removal process. The recycler will be positioned at the bridge’s Pennsylvania approach and remain there for several months.
Paint removal is expected to be conducted between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Under terms of the project contract, the work is permitted to be extended to 8 p.m. if deemed necessary by the project team.
The project remains on scheduled at this time. The bridge continues to carry New Jersey-bound traffic 24/7. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania-bound traffic is detoured via the Upper Black Eddy-Milford Toll-Supported 3.3 miles upstream. The bridge’s walkway remains closed until further notice.
More information is available on a Commission website project-specific webpage: https://www.drjtbc.org/project/frenchtownbridge. A two-week lookahead is updated regularly.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joe Donnelly or Alex Styer
March 12, 2025 Phone: (267) 394-6560 or (267) 838-3165
Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Bridge Walkway Slated to Close Monday
https://www.drjtbc.org/project/frenchtownbridge for updates.
Walkers and Bicyclists Unable to Cross Bridge Until Further Notice
While Walkway Gets Replaced under 2025 Rehabilitation Project
FRENCHTOWN, NJ – The Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Toll-Supported Bridge’s walkway is scheduled to be shut down for several months starting Monday, March 17, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced today.
The closure means that pedestrians and bicyclists will be unable to cross the bridge until a new widened walkway gets installed later this year as part of a rehabilitation project now underway at the bridge. At this time, the goal is to get the walkway replacement work completed in time for Frenchtown’s Riverfest, an annual street fair held on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.
(Note: Monday’s walkway closure is subject to change due to severe weather, emergencies, and other factors.)
The bridge’s current walkway has a concrete-filled steel-grid surface with tubular anodized aluminum railings. The effective clearance along the walkway is 3 feet 9 inches wide.
Under the project, the walkway will be replaced with a wider system of slip-resistant foam-core fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) panels and new hand railings. The new surface will be 5-feet wide, 1 foot 3 inches wider than the current facility. This additional width is expected to help pedestrians walking in opposite directions to pass each other on the walkway. It also should ease passage of cyclists walking their bicycles across the walkway – a Commission requirement.
The upcoming walkway closure is part of a series of preparations that the Commission’s project contractor is undertaking to prepare the bridge for painting, repairs, improvements this year. The contractor is currently in the throes of installing temporary work platforms/debris-containment systems below and above the bridge’s roadway deck. An uninterrupted nine-month-long detour of Pennsylvania-bound traffic at the bridge went into effect February 20. Some limited-duration detours of New Jersey-bound traffic also will be needed periodically later on during the project.
A project-specific webpage has been established on the Commission’s website and may be accessed directly through this link:https://www.drjtbc.org/project/frenchtownbridge.
