Route 80 To Return to Original Traffic Pattern

Interstate 80 eastbound is scheduled to return to the original traffic pattern this weekend over Berkshire Valley Road in Roxbury, NJDOT officials said.

NJDOT’s contractor, Crisdel Group Inc., has reconstructed the bridge superstructure and will finish final paving and striping operations this weekend to fully restore the highway onto the bridge before the morning commute on Monday, Nov. 21.  NJDOT will implement the permanent shift in stages, requiring a series of lane closures on I-80 eastbound throughout the weekend. 

All three I-80 eastbound travel lanes have been shifted onto a temporary bridge structure located in the median of the highway since April 2011. 

The temporary bridge enabled NJDOT to maintain three travel lanes on I-80 during the demolition of the existing bridge decks and construction of the new decks.  By keeping traffic and vibrations away from the construction, the new bridge decks are expected to last longer than bridge decks built with conventional traffic staging. 

The $11 million federally funded project has replaced the structurally deficient I-80 bridge decks in both directions over Berkshire Valley Road, as well as constructed new bridge support beams and bearings. 

The project began in summer 2009 and NJDOT completed the reconstruction of the westbound bridge over Berkshire Valley Road in December 2010.

Variable message signs on I-80 are in place to notify motorists of the weekend traffic pattern changes.  NJDOT provides emergency roadway information, construction schedule updates and real time traffic information and images at www.511nj.org