Flood waters have damaged the Route 202 bridge in Bernardsville, leading to its closure, the New Jersey Department of Transportation officials announced Monday, July 11, 2016.
BERNARDSVILLE - New Jersey Department of Transportation officials announced Monday the emergency closure of the Route 202 Bridge over the Sluice Brook, just south of Douglas Avenue.
State DOT crews discovered damage to a bridge abutment after heavy rains on Saturday, and on Sunday closed the bridge in both directions because of safety concerns, according to a news release.
The following detours will be in place:
- Route 202 southbound - Traffic will be directed to turn left on Meeker Road, then left on Pill Hill, then right on Mt. Airy/Whitenack Road and left back onto Route 202 southbound.
- Route 202 northbound - Traffic will be directed to turn right onto Whitenack Road, then left onto Meeker Road, and right back onto Route 202 northbound.
Structurally-deficient bridge being replaced
The heavy localized rains and flooding resulted in the partial failure of a bridge abutment, according to the news release. Structural evaluation teams were on the scene Monday evaluating the bridge and the extent of the damage to determine the best course of action to repair the bridge and reopen the highway.
It is unclear how long Route 202 will remain closed at this time.
The bridge is the third in Somerset County undergoing work. A bridge in Branchburg declared structurally-deficient is being replaced this summer and a project to replace the Route 518 bridge over the Delaware & Raritan Canal began earlier this year.
The suspension of Transportation Trust Fund projects, which took effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday, was done in order to ensure the state Department of Transportation has funds available to respond to unexpected emergency work, such as the damage to the Route 202 bridge, according to the release.
The Branchburg bridge replacement project is continuing during the suspension, but the Franklin bridge work has been halted.