“On the way to Cape May,” won’t be a cheerful song if you’re using the Commodore Barry Bridge starting in May. That’s when a seven-month long, nearly $8 million project begins to replace deck joints which will close two of its five lanes.
An inspection of the bridge recommended replacing 74 existing compression seal joints with new strip seal joints on the bridge approach structure, according to the Delaware River Port Authority.
“This project needs to be completed in a timely manner so PennDOT can build new ramps connecting the Commodore Barry Bridge with the Chester, Pa., waterfront,” said DRPA Chief Engineer William Brooks.
“This is part of an overall maintenance program designed to keep all our bridges in top condition,” said DRPA Chief Executive Officer John J. Matheussen. DRPA also owns/operates the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman and Betsy Ross bridges which span the Delaware River.
Drivers will be updated regularly on construction progress, said DRPA spokesman Ed Kasuba.
Further details on the project such as the hours of construction and which lanes will be closed are pending later on, he said Thursday. The lane closings will be dependent on the traffic flow.
“Every effort will be made to accommodate shorebound and homebound commuters,” Kasuba said.
The average daily traffic count for the bridge is about 44,000 vehicles, he said.
The contract was awarded to Road-Con Inc. of West Chester.
In November 2005, the bridge was scheduled for $1 million worth of security upgrades as part of the federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act, which President Bush signed into law earlier that year.
DRPA officials said they were unable to specify what improvements would be made to the bridge to secure the structure.
Construction on the Barry Bridge, which connects Chester and Bridgeport, N.J., began April 14, 1969. It was opened to traffic Feb. 1, 1974.
The bridge is 13,912 feet long and is 76 feet, 10 inches wide. Its travel width curb to curb is 60 feet. The span’s structural steel weight is 49,000 tons. Its navigable channel width is 800 feet, with a channel depth of 40 feet.