Ice Jam Takes Delaware River to Flood Stage
Warmer temperatures today could help move the ice jam that has the Delaware River at flood stage in Trenton.
The jam formed during the frigid temperatures of the past several days, between the Calhoun Street Bridge and just past the Route 1 bridge, blocking flow and causing the water to remain steady at 20 feet as of 1:15 p.m.
"It's not one solid sheet of ice across the top- you can see that it's many large chunks and it just goes...as far as the eye can see to the north," is how NBC 10 photojournalist Jeremy Haas describes the 1-mile long ice jam.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warninguntil at least 8 a.m. Friday as the waters level off but has caused flooding both sides of the Delaware. Route 29 is closed southbound at Calhoun Street and the right lane remains blocked between Route 33 and Route 1.
NBC 10 reports that the U.S. Coast Guard is sending three boats to help break up the jam. The boats will keep the shipping lane open and relieve pressure on the ice according to 6 ABC.
The Statehouse garage remains closed for a second day; shuttle service is being provided for those who park at the Sun Center or at 244 Perry Street.
Route 32 in Bucks County, just across the river, is also closed along with several local streets. Many Trenton-bound commuters who jumped on I-95 to avoid closures found traffic backed up several miles to the Oxford Valley Mall area, according to New Jersey Fast Traffic.
A Flash Flood Watch is in effect along the Delaware for possible flooding north and south of the ice jam. “If the ice jam were to break, the water would move more rapidly than usual toward Burlington and Philadelphia County,” Mitchell Gaines, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the Times of Trenton.
Temperatures on Friday and Saturday in the 40s and 50s will help melt and clear out the ice.
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