Construction on portions of heavily-traveled Route 78 is expected to impact traffic during the summer months, but lane closures would be limited to overnight off-peak hours.

One of the busiest truck crossings in the United States, and the most traveled roadway segment maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, the interstate highway will receive improvements at eight approach structures, along with cleaning, painting and re-striping.

Initial work on the NJ-PA roadway could begin as early as the week of June 12, continuing until a winter hiatus and then eventually wrapping up late next year.

Two contracts were approved for the $12.6 million project in April.

"Even though it's not a large-scale bridge rehabilitation project or bridge construction project, it's still challenging to do this with traffic moving," DRJTBC spokesman Joe Donnelly told New Jersey 101.5.

Work on the Delaware River span will include some overnight lane closures, Donnelly noted. After the summer driving season is over, some closures could occur on weekends.

"We consciously make an effort to stage project work as best we can to limit the amount of traffic and drivers who will be impacted," Donnelly said. "However, on occasions with some projects or some facets of projects, you have no other choice but to go forward and get the work done."

Donnelly said the portions of roadwork receiving structural improvements have a "unique geological formation" underneath that's "prone to sinkholes."

The commission's seven-mile stretch of I-78 — including more than four miles in Warren County — carried 25 million vehicles in 2016. Seventy-five percent of truck traffic is represented by tractor trailers. The I-78 toll bridge is a link between New Jersey's port area and warehouse districts in Pennsylvania.

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Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.

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