Route 206 in Princeton to be closed for bridge repairs

Beginning July 6, Route 206 in Princeton will be fully closed through the rest of the calendar year.

New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials say the road will be closed for the rehabilitation of the Route 206 bridges over Stony Brook.

NJDOT’s contractor South State Inc., is scheduled to close Route 206 in both directions near the Stony Brook Bridges between Lovers Lane and Carter Road in Princeton to allow for the reconstruction of the Stone Arch Bridge and the adjacent Flood Channel Bridge.

There will be two detours in place during construction: one for cars and another for trucks. Local access will be maintained for residents and businesses on Route 206, including the Hun School.

Additionally, NJ Transit Bus Route 606 will be detoured during construction, with several stops on Route 206 not being served. For details on alternate stops, visit NJ Transit’s Service Bulletin online. Route 31 south to I-95 north back to Route 206.

The $7.4 million state-funded project consists of rehabilitating the historic Stone Arch Bridge over Stony Brook and replacing the adjacent Flood Channel Bridge, both of which are located between Quaker Road near the Hun School and the Jasna Polana Country Club.

The Stone Arch Bridge, constructed in 1792 and widened in 1916, was closed in February 2016 for emergency repairs following a partial parapet collapse. The adjacent Flood Channel Bridge is in poor condition and will be replaced with a single-span bridge. It is being done at the same time as the Stone Arch Bridge rehabilitation to minimize the impact to traffic. The project also includes minor reprofiling of the roadway, drainage improvements, replacement of existing guide rail, slope stabilization, and replacement/relocation of existing utilities.

The project is located within the historic districts of the Princeton Battlefield/Stony Brook Settlement Village and the Kings Highway Districts. NJDOT has worked closely with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Princeton Historical Preservation Committee (HPC) from the beginning of the emergency repair in February 2016, throughout the design process, and will continue to do so during construction with archaeological monitoring and documentation taking place.

Portable and overhead variable message signs are being used to give advance notification to motorists of all traffic pattern changes associated with the work. The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for realtime travel information.