Washington Road bridge scheduled to be closed during fall recess

Washington Road bridge, which connects the newly-opened Meadows Campus to the main campus, will be closed from 8 p.m. Oct. 11 until 12 p.m. Oct. 18.

Per an announcement sent via email to Princeton undergraduates, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has advised that the bridge “over the D&R Canal between Faculty Road and Route 1” will be closed while contractors complete the “remedial work.”

The bridge was closed for three months from July to October 2023, when the bridge over the Delaware and Raritan (D&R) canal had to undergo “emergency” repair, although the section over Lake Carnegie was not affected. During this time, the bridge was replaced, detouring some faculty and staff commutes and affecting access to facilities for some classes and the cross country and rowing teams.

The announcement explains that detour routes, avoiding Washington Road bridge, will be available online. Residents of the Meadows Neighborhood will still be able to access the area via TigerTransit, although the routes will be modified.

Some Meadows’ residents expressed that they would choose to walk instead of using TigerTransit during the closure. Daniel Petito GS wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian that “it’s easier for me to just walk [to work] than to wait for the bus and have to take the detour loop.” He explained that a detour via Route 1 could “double or triple the amount of time that it takes [him] to get to work.”

Two bus routes currently cross the Washington Road bridge on weekdays: route 3, which travels between Merwick Stanworth Apartments and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory; and route 4, which goes between the Meadows Drive Garage and Princeton Station, via the Friend Center.

Julia Balch GS is a resident of the Meadows Neighborhood and typically walks or cycles across the Washington Road bridge more than twice per day.

While she herself does not typically use TigerTransit, Balch expressed that “it will create quite a disruption,” specifically for people who take the bus. At the time of publication, the modified routes for TigerTransit buses have not been announced by Transportation and Parking Services.

The closure announcement reads that the sidewalk on the north side of the bridge will remain open for pedestrians and bicycles, despite detours being in place for motor vehicles.

The towpath, located between the D&R canal and Lake Carnegie and typically used recreationally for walking, running, and biking, will remain mostly open. However, there will be phases of intermittent closure throughout the work proceedings.

Information regarding construction updates and real-time travel information will be available on the NJDOT’s website.

Victoria Davies is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ who covers University operations.