New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials announced the overnight closure next week of the Route 35 Bridge over the Perth Amboy Connector in Perth Amboy, as well as overnight lane closures of Route 440 southbound on Monday, December 20 as an overhead sign structure replacement project advances in the city.
Beginning at 11 p.m. Monday, December 20 until 5 a.m. Tuesday, December 21, NJDOT’s contractor, J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc., is scheduled to close the right lane on Route 440 southbound (from Staten Island) starting at the toll plaza in Staten Island through Amboy Avenue in Perth Amboy.
After midnight, there will be a few temporary 15-minute stoppages of traffic to remove the existing sign structure and install the new sign structure before the pedestrian bridge over Route 440. New Jersey State Police will assist with the traffic stoppages.
This bridge is located just north of the Route 35 Victory Bridge over the Raritan River and goes over County Route 624/Perth Amboy Connector.
From 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next day on both Monday, December 20 and Tuesday, December 21, NJDOT’s contractor, Konkus, Corp., is scheduled to close and detour Route 35 in both directions between Fayette Street and New Brunswick Avenue in Perth Amboy.
In addition to the closure of Route 35, beginning at 10 p.m. each night there will be several temporary 15-minute stoppages of traffic on CR 624/Perth Amboy Connector below the bridge.
The closure and stoppage of traffic are necessary to remove beams from the southbound side of the bridge. The bridge will reopen at 6 a.m. each morning. The following detour will be in place Monday and Tuesday nights:
Route 35 southbound detour:
- Motorists traveling southbound on Route 35 will be directed to turn right onto New Brunswick Avenue
- Turn left onto South Florida Grove Road
- Turn left onto CR624/Perth Amboy Connector
- Turn right onto Hebert Street
- Turn right onto Fayette Street
- Turn left onto Route 35 southbound
Route 35 northbound detour:
- Motorists traveling northbound on Route 35 will be directed to turn right onto Fayette Street
- Turn left onto CR624/Perth Amboy Connector
- Stay in the right lane and turn right onto South Florida Grove Road
- Turn right onto New Brunswick Avenue
- Turn left onto Route 35 northbound
Route 35 was previously reduced to one lane in each direction with traffic shifted to the northbound side of the bridge to allow for the demolition and reconstruction of the southbound side of the bridge. This configuration is expected to remain in place until the summer of 2022. One lane will be maintained in each direction throughout construction.
The $12 million federally-funded project will replace the bridge, which is in poor condition. Construction will take place in stages with the southbound side of the bridge reconstructed first. Once that side of the bridge is completed, traffic will be shifted to the newly constructed southbound side of the bridge to allow construction of the northbound side. The project will also replace guiderail and fencing. The entire project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2022.
The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for construction updates and real-time travel information. For NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NewJerseyDOT and our Facebook page.