A portion of New Pearl Street/River Road in Burlington City and Burlington Township will be closed until late November due to a construction project involving the removal of a deficient bridge and other road improvements.
The Burlington County Engineer’s Office announced the road closure would begin on Monday, July 28. It is expected to remain closed until Nov. 21.
During the closure period, traffic will be detoured via Dultys Lane, Route 130, Federal Street and Jones Street. Detour signs will direct traffic on the detour routes.
The $2 million project is state-funded and calls for the removal of the County Bridge C2.2 and the reconstruction of New Pearl Street/River Road, also known as County Route 656.
The bridge and road were originally built in 1925 by the U.S. Pipe Co. to carry traffic over the former U.S. Pipe Foundry complex’s private railroad siding. The U.S. Pipe Foundry closed in 2008, and the site is now largely occupied by an Amazon warehouse.
The concrete bridge is rated structurally deficient and is not needed because there is no longer a railroad siding or rail service to the former Foundry site. The county plans call for the bridge’s demolition and the reconstruction of the road with bicycle-compatible shoulders. A separate pedestrian and bicycle path will also be constructed in the project area. This path will eventually become part of a new 13-mile Delaware River Heritage Trail segment from Roebling Park in Florence through Burlington Township, Burlington City, Edgewater Park, Beverly and Delanco.
Burlington County was recently awarded a $75,000 grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to prepare a feasible route for the new trail segment.
