Route 3 eastbound overnight lane closure needed to implement traffic shift this weekend in Rutherford

Temporary 15-minute closures needed at night for two weeks for beam installation

(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced the completion of the new south abutment for the Ridge Road Bridge over Route 3 allowing the opening of the continuous right shoulder in the eastbound direction under the bridge in Rutherford, as the Ridge Road and Orient Way Bridges over Route 3 replacement project advances.

In order to reopen the right lane and new shoulder and shift traffic to allow work in the median, overnight lane closures are necessary Friday and Saturday nights, March 22 and 23 on Route 3 eastbound just before the Ridge Road Bridge.  When work is complete, eastbound traffic will be shifted to the right, with the left lane closed.

Beginning at 10 p.m. tonight, Friday, March 22, until 5 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, March 23, and again at 10 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, March 23 until 6 a.m. Sunday, March 23, NJDOT’s contractor, Carbro Contractors Corp., is scheduled to close one lane on Route 3 eastbound before the Ridge Road Bridge to reposition concrete barriers. Between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. a second lane will be closed, with periodic 15 minute shutdowns to move the barriers. Once the traffic shift is complete, the right lane and new right shoulder under the Ridge Road Bridge on Route 3 eastbound will be open and the left lane will be closed to allow for a median work zone. At least two lanes will be maintained overnight.

Route 3 Temporary Closures Overnight for Next Two Weeks
Beginning at 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. each night, Tuesday, March 26 through Friday, March 29, and again Monday, April 1 through Friday, April 5, there were be several temporary 15-minute closures of Route 3 in both directions to allow for the installation of new bridge beams. Motorists are advised to stay alert and slow down through the construction zone.

The federally-funded $26.7 million project began in March 2018 and will replace both the Ridge Road Bridge and the Orient Way Bridge over Route 3, provide a continuous full-width right shoulder on Route 3 in both directions to help ease congestion, and make improvements to the Polito Avenue and Rutherford Avenue intersection, including traffic signal improvements and ADA compliant sidewalk ramps.

The project is being constructed in five stages and NJDOT is using Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques to reduce the time it will take to replace the bridges. The entire project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2020. As the Ridge Road and Orient Way Bridges over Route 3 project advances, NJDOT will provide additional information including ramp or lane closures and detours.

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 real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info and on our Facebook page.