The NJ Route 29 southbound bypass lane at I-295/Route 29 interchange (Exit 76) is scheduled to undergo a one-week-long test closure with a corresponding traffic shift through the interchange’s adjoining service lanes starting noon Wednesday, February 26 as part of the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project.
If the initial one-week-long traffic diversion trial works as anticipated, the Route 29 SB travel-restriction pattern will be extended for up to an additional 18 months to allow for a series of construction activities on the New Jersey side of the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge. As currently configured, the single-lane Route 29 SB bypass allows traffic from Washington Crossing and other points north to avoid the interchange’s ramps and roundabouts for travel toward Trenton. This pattern is poised to change on February 26, when all Route 29 SB traffic will be shifted through the interchange’s adjoining ramps and roundabouts so the adjoining single southbound bypass lane can be shut down.
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Traffic on the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge, both directions of I-295, and Route 29 NB is not anticipated to be affected while the Route 29 SB diversion plan is in place.
The nearby Route 29 NB bypass lane has been closed with traffic diverted through the interchange’s roundabouts and connector ramps since Jan. 21. That closure has not caused appreciable delays or motorist impacts during the four weeks it has been in place. The northbound bypass is scheduled to reopen shortly before the Route 29 SB bypass traffic diversion plan takes effect on Feb. 26.
Under the impending Route 29 SB bypass closure and diversion plan, motorists should expect to encounter brief delays and backups only during weekday morning-peak travel periods – 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. This could especially be the case on the first morning the new travel pattern is in place – Thursday, Feb. 27.