Road repairs begin in National Recreation Area

The National Park Service will be undertaking repairs to aging-infrastructure along US Route 209 over the next year.

Bridge and culvert repair work on US Route 209 within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area started on April 5. The multi-phased project will improve safety for motorists along this important and heavily traveled roadway.

Planned work includes structure rehabilitation, preventative bridge maintenance, scour protection of structures, roadway pavement maintenance, and guardrail installation at four bridge/culvert sites along the route. Specific timelines for each of the project components are listed below but are subject to change. Updated information and timelines will be posted to the park’s website (nps.gov/dewa) and Facebook (Facebook.com/DelWaterGapNPS) as each new phase begins.

● Work on the Conashaugh Creek Culvert, near mile post 16.5, began on April 5 and is expected to be completed by mid-April. During construction, the southern entrance to Zimmermann Road from US Route 209 will be closed, however the north entrance to Zimmermann Road will remain open.

● Repairs to the Toms Creek Bridge, near mile post 4.7, are scheduled to take place during the last two weeks of April.

● Work on the Adams Creek Bridge, near mile post 14.2, is scheduled to take place between May 3 and the end of June. US Route 209 will be closed evenings from 9 pm to 7 am between May 3 to May 21 while workers install new retaining walls. The detour route to and from the Milford area during this phase of construction will include Route 739 and Milford Road; Raymondskill Road will remain open but will not be marked as part of the official detour.

● Repairs to the Bushkill Creek Bridge, near mile post 1.2, are set to take place between July 7 and the end of October.

Motorists can expect minor delays due to heavy equipment maneuvering in the work zone and single-lane closures with flaggers during work on Route 209.

According to Chiara Palazzolo, National Park Service project manager, bridges in the park are reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration every two years.

“Of the more than 150 miles of roads within the recreation area, Route 209 is by far the most heavily travelled,” Palazzolo said. “These repairs are needed to remediate the normal wear and tear expected on a highly used roadway and because of natural processes like erosion from the streams over which they pass. The increase in rainfall and storm intensity over the last three to five years has added to the wear and tear that we normally see.”

This project is administered by Federal Highway Administration (FHA) in cooperation with the Park and funded with Federal Lands to Parks (FLP) funds. The work will be done under contract by Central Southern Construction CO. Inc., from Jacksonville, Florida.