Hillsborough Road to Remain Closed for Bridge Work

Hillsborough Road will remain closed to motor vehicle traffic because of delays in rebuilding a bridge over CSX railroad tracks, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT).

“The work on the bridge is extensive and has taken a little longer than anticipated,” Timothy Greeley, spokesman for the DOT, said. “We anticipate the completion of the bridge work and the reopening of the road to motor vehicle traffic by the end of the year.”

“Whenever a construction project involves a detour, we make every attempt to maintain access to businesses during construction,” he added.  “We work with businesses when they raise concerns and attempt to accommodate them as best we can.”

Work on the bridge is part of the first set of contracts on the Route 206 bypass. The  $43 million contract builds a 3.6-mile stretch of the bypass, connecting Amwell Road and Hillsborough Road.

It includes reconstructing the superstructures of two bridges over CSX railroad tracks. The bridges are located at Hillsborough Road and Homestead Road, though work on the bridges is not occurring at the same time.

Despite the delay in the Hillsborough Road bridge work, the bypass construction remains on schedule, Greeley said.

“This is a large project with construction activities progressing at multiple locations within the work zone simultaneously,” Greely said. “It is important to note that the delay in reopening Hillsborough Road will not have a direct impact on the complete schedule for Contract A, which remains on schedule to be completed in early 2013.”

The second portion of bypass work, which will be handled through a second contract, will connect the bypass to Route 206 at Mountain View Road and at Old Somerville Road. Though the DOT has not given a start date for that portion of the bypass work, it expects to open the road to traffic in 2015.