Route 139 Upper Level lane closures to begin this week
Pulaski Contract #2 advances with utility work and construction of a temporary roadway
(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced that the Pulaski Skyway Contract #2 is advancing with the start of utility work and the construction of a temporary roadway along Route 139 Upper Level.
Starting today, the work requires a single lane closure in each direction overnight and during weekday off-peak travel times. The upper level of Route 139 provides two lanes in each direction, and both lanes will remain open during the morning rush (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) and evening rush (3 p.m. to 8 p.m.), as well from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
One lane will be closed in each direction during the following times:
• Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next morning.
• Friday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday
• Saturday: 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. Sunday
• Sunday: 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday
These overnight and off-peak lane closures are expected to continue through the summer of 2014.
Public Service Electric and Gas and NJDOT’s contractor, Schiavone Construction Company, will work concurrently beginning Wednesday morning, November 6, from east of Palisade Avenue to Kennedy Boulevard. Most of the work during this phase of construction, starting with utility relocation, will be on the eastbound lanes of Route 139 Upper Level, which also is known as the Hoboken Viaduct.
The project also includes drainage installation, intersection improvements, and the construction of a temporary road between Palisade Avenue and Oakland Avenue. The temporary roadway, which will be located to the south of the existing Route 139 Upper Level eastbound, is necessary so the deck on the Hoboken Viaduct can be replaced later in the project. Work on the westbound lanes will include utility relocation, striping, and traffic signal improvements.
This work is part of the $104 million Pulaski Contract 2, which will repair and improve the upper and lower levels of Route 139. Route 139 links the eastern end of the Skyway to the Jersey City waterfront and the Holland Tunnel.
During this contract, the deck on Route 139 upper level eastbound will be replaced, along with five cross street bridges from Palisade Avenue to Kennedy Boulevard. The columns that support the upper roadway will be replaced and embedded into the rock to provide greater stability in the event of seismic activity. The retention wall on the north face also will be rehabilitated.
Other improvements to be carried out in Contract 2 of the Pulaski rehabilitation program include straightening out the Hoboken Viaduct near Palisade Avenue where it currently jogs to the left, as well as installing new sidewalks with ADA-compliant crosswalks and new traffic signals, and repaving both upper and lower levels of Route 139.
A major phase of the project is the full redecking of the Conrail Viaduct, which is a short section of Route 139 lower level from approximately Kennedy Boulevard to Bevan Street that goes over railroad right of way. In addition, traffic will no longer be able to cross Route 139 at Bevan Street. This portion of the Skyway rehabilitation is expected to be complete by the end of 2016.
Contract 2 is part of the $1 billion Pulaski Skyway rehabilitation project, which is being advanced through 10 separate construction contracts into the year 2020. The massive improvement project will extend the life of the Skyway by 75 years.
In January 2013, NJDOT announced a construction plan that will require a complete diversion of northbound motorists from the Skyway for approximately two years - starting after the Super Bowl in 2014 - while the existing deck of the 3.5-mile long structure that carries Route 1&9 traffic is replaced. Two southbound travel lanes will be maintained during this phase of the rehabilitation project.
NJDOT created a project-specific website - www.pulaskiskyway.com - which contains a wealth of information about the Skyway and the project, and will be updated with relevant new information as work progresses. The Department is carefully coordinating the Pulaski Skyway project with other regional transportation infrastructure projects to minimize traffic congestion.
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.
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