Biennial inspections of non-toll bridges spanning the Delaware River are set to begin March 16, potentially causing brief off-peak travel delays for motorists, according to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
The inspections will start Monday at the Centre Bridge–Stockton Toll-Supported Bridge, which connects Solebury, Pennsylvania, and Stockton, New Jersey. The process will then move to other toll-supported bridges along the river in the following weeks.
Officials said the inspections are expected to continue through early summer.
While most of the work will occur out of public view, motorists may occasionally encounter temporary traffic restrictions controlled by flaggers during off-peak hours, the commission said. Any travel impacts are expected to be minor.
The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission conducts bridge inspections each year as part of its maintenance program. Toll bridges are inspected in odd-numbered years, while non-toll bridges are inspected in even-numbered years.
The inspections are performed in accordance with Federal Highway Administration and National Bridge Inspection Standards, and the results are included in the commission’s annual inspection reports.
Officials said the inspections help determine priorities for capital improvements, maintenance and repair work across the commission’s bridge network.
This year’s inspection program will also include ultrasonic testing on several bridges with pin connections — structural components that cannot be fully evaluated through visual inspection.
The additional testing was added after a deteriorated steel pin measuring about 17 inches long and 4 inches in diameter was discovered during rehabilitation work on the New Hope–Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge in 2024.
Commission officials noted that while toll-supported bridges are free for the public to use, their maintenance and operating costs are funded through tolls collected at the commission’s eight toll bridges along the Delaware River.
