DELAWARE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Hunterdon County) — The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has approved a $3.2 million project to install security cameras, architectural lighting and other upgrades on the Lumberville-Raven Rock Toll-Supported Pedestrian Bridge connecting New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The commission awarded a contract to PKF-Mark III Inc. of Newtown, Pennsylvania, for an amount not to exceed $3,227,970 during its meeting this week in Lower Makefield, Pennsylvania.
The project calls for the installation of security cameras capable of monitoring the bridge and the Delaware River upstream and downstream around the clock. According to the commission, the cameras will help confirm reported incidents and improve emergency response to situations such as capsized watercraft, suicide attempts and collisions involving pedestrians and bicyclists.
The commission said the bridge is the only structure in its transportation network that does not currently have remote monitoring capabilities for emergencies, incidents and high-water events.
The project also includes a new color-programmable LED lighting system that will illuminate the bridge’s distinctive suspension cables, towers and stone substructures. Existing tower-mounted light fixtures will be replaced with more energy-efficient LED fixtures, and additional lighting will be installed along the bridge’s walkway to improve visibility for pedestrians.
As part of the project, the commission also will assume responsibility for displaying an American flag on the bridge, continuing a tradition started by the late William E. Tinsman following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
For nearly 25 years, the flag has been funded and maintained by the Tinsman family and residents of Lumberville. The commission said it will now cover the costs of displaying, maintaining and removing the flag when high water threatens the bridge. Officials said they have revised earlier plans and will continue displaying a flag similar in size and orientation to the current one.
Construction is expected to begin with field preparation later this summer, with some work extending into 2027. The commission expects the pedestrian bridge to remain open throughout construction, with walkers routed around active work areas.
Built in 1947 by the John A. Roebling’s Sons Company, the Lumberville-Raven Rock Pedestrian Bridge is a rare multi-catenary suspension bridge spanning the Delaware River between the Raven Rock section of Delaware Township, New Jersey, and the Lumberville section of Solebury Township, Pennsylvania. The bridge, a popular destination for pedestrians, cyclists, artists and photographers, has been owned and maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission since 1987. It was last rehabilitated in 2013.
