The Commodore Barry Bridge is under construction. Beginning this week, a project got underway to replace its moveable concrete barrier wall with a new steel one.
Installation will take "approximately four-to-five weeks," per a press release from the Delaware River Port Authority. On weeknights from the hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., only one lane will be open in each direction on the five-lane bridge. Construction is beginning in South Jersey before moving west to Pennsylvania.
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The DRPA warns that motorists should expect traffic delays, particularly on Thursday and Friday evenings for "shore-bound" drivers.
The new barrier is a part of a $220 million rehabilitation project for the Commodore Barry Bridge that is starting this spring with an estimated completion of early 2028. It also includes repainting the bridge, deck repairs and safety upgrades.
The DRPA notes that the barrier wall, which spans three miles, "is being replaced with a modern steel system and a new barrier transfer machine that enhances safety, offers better crash protection with reduced deflection, reduces wear on the barrier transfer machine, and improves long-term performance. Similar steel barriers and modern transfer machines are already installed on the Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman Bridges."
The bridge's concrete barrier had been installed in the early 2000s. Before that, the center lane was kept open as a buffer between the vehicles traveling in opposite directions. The Commodore Barry Bridge connects Bridgeport, Gloucester County, with Chester, Delaware County.
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