MOUNT OLIVE — Morris County commuters will have a 10-day headache while a bridge on Route 206 is replaced.

The highway will close in both directions at 8 p.m. Friday, July 6 between Four Bridges Road/Hillside Road and Bartley-Chester Road/Hillery Drive.

The work will replace the bridge deck over the Drakes Brook, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The bridge's superstructure and approaches to the bridge will also be replaced during the $2.8 million project, which the DOT said is being paid for with federal funds. Planning for the project after a state inspection concluded the bridge was in such poor condition that the replacement was required.

Using accelerated bridge construction techniques to reduce the time it will take to replace the bridge, the road is scheduled to reopen on Monday, July 16. Work will take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week as conditions permit.

The DOT said the closure was being timed to not interfere with classes at West Morris Central or the start of the high school summer sports program.

New Jersey Fast Traffic's Bob Williams is concerned about the affect the detour will have on local traffic and said there's no real good time to close the road.

"Route 206 is the only major north/south truck route in that part of the state," Williams said.

Lou Thompson, creator of the MT Olive Twp NJ Alerts Facebook page, is concerned about traffic headed to several farms in Chester.

"[I]t's going to cause a backup effect in through the township of Mount Olive," Thompson commented.

Separate detours will be in place for cars and trucks:

Car Detour - southbound

    • Cars traveling south on Route 206 will be directed to turn right onto Bartley Chester Road/CR 625
    • Left onto Bartley Road at the temporary traffic signal
    • Left onto South Four Bridges Road at the temporary traffic signal to Route 206

Car Detour - northbound

    • Cars traveling north on Route 206 will be directed to turn left onto Four Bridges Road
    • Right onto Bartley Road/CR 625 at the temporary traffic signal
    • Right onto Bartley Chester Road/CR 625 to Route 206 at the temporary traffic signal

Truck Detour - southbound

  • Trucks traveling south on Route 206 will be directed to turn right onto Bartley Flanders Road/CR 612
  • Right onto Bartley Road/CR 625 at temporary traffic signal
  • Left onto South Four Bridges Road at temporary traffic signal to Route 206

Truck Detour - northbound

  • Trucks traveling north on Route 206 will be directed to turn left onto Four Bridges Road
  • Right onto Bartley Road/CR 625 at the temporary traffic signal
  • Left onto Bartley Flanders Road/CR 612 at temporary traffic signal
  • Right onto 613 to Route 206

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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