Crews found a crack in a bridge that spans the Delaware River and which connects the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Turnpikes. The bridge has been closed indefinitely.
A bridge linking the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Turnpikes was closed indefinitely for emergency repairs Friday afternoon after crews discovered a crack in a structural piece of the span.
The fracture was discovered by inspectors who were doing a bi-annual check of the 60-year old western span of the Delaware River Bridge in Bucks County on Friday afternoon, said Thomas Feeney, a spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The bridge connects the turnpike to I-276.
"It's bad enough that they had to shut it down," he said.
A bridge between the N.J. Turnpike and Pennsylvania Turnpike has been closed after work crews found a crack in a structural piece. (File photo) The bridge and the five-mile Pearl Harbor extension to the New Jersey Turnpike mainline have been closed indefinitely, he said. Alternate routes include I-78, I- 295, and the Burlington-Bristol Bridge, said Stephen Schapiro, an NJDOT spokesman
There is no time estimate for how soon repairs can be made and the bridge re-opened, officials said.
"We have to assess and stabilize it," Feeney said, "It has to be stabilized, so it can carry its own weight. After it is stabilized, we'll decide how to repair it."
The bridge opened in May 1956 and is jointly maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, said Carl DeFebo, a turnpike commission spokesman.
Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.