Pulaski Skyway project extended another year

TRENTON — Completion of the $1 billion Pulaski Skyway project has been delayed for a third time.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation told NJ.com that rebuilding retaining walls  between the Skyway and Route 139, which was not part of the original project when it started in 2014, will prevent future delays and closures.

The latest delay adds another year to the project, which closed the northbound lanes in 2014. The new work will be completed in 2018, according to the report, and the Skyway will be reopened to traffic in both directions.

The project was delayed in 2015 by the discovery of beams in the roadway that were found to be rusted out when workers removed pavements from the roadway the first built in 1932. Bridge deck replacement was supposed to be complete this summer, allowing the bridge to reopen, according to the report.

The seven-year project originally was to replace the bridge deck, strengthening the steel superstructure, repairing ramps and improving drainage and lighting. The DOT said decades of exposure to water, salt, and harsh weather has caused severe corrosion to important steel bridge deck components.

Final completion of the overall project, with repainting, is scheduled for 2020.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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