Ice jam causes flooding in Trenton and in Bucks County
TRENTON » The Delaware River is clogged.
And it led to flooding in Trenton and Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County on Monday.
The National Weather Service said that the flooding was caused by an ice jam in the Trenton region that resulted in a significant rise of the Delaware.
Warmer temperatures and the heavy rain last week contributed to the jam.
“The ice didn’t melt necessarily,” said Jared Klein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly. “It started to thin out and break out. As the ice starts breaking up and the water tries to move and depending how deep or shallow the water is, there could be structures like bridges that block the flow of ice going down river. Trenton is kind of favored spot.”
The flooding resulted in portions of roadways to be closed.
In New Jersey, Route 29 was closed at Calhoun Street. On the Pa. side, River Road between East Trenton Road and Richard Road, and Ferry Road at Stafford Place was closed due to the flooding.
The situation could present a travel headache during Gov.-elect Phil Murphy’s inauguration on Tuesday.
The New Jersey of Transportation warned that from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., motorists in the Trenton area may “experience higher traffic volumes, congestion, and detoured roadways” due to the inauguration.
Meteorologists say it is “unpredictable” when the Delaware River will unclog itself and start moving again.
“If it’s cold out, it could just refreeze again,” Klein said. “Eventually, it does break up ... it would eventually push its way out.”
The Trenton area is a trouble spot for the ice jam. One also happened a couple years ago.
The river reached 20.58 feet on Monday night due to the ice jam and it also presented a problem for the dysfunctional Trenton Water Works, prompting a boil water advisory.
Klein said local residents and workers may have to potentially worry about ice jams into next weekend when the weather warms up again and more melting occurring.