Interstate 80 westbound in New Jersey may be back to normal sooner than expected.

Since late June, I-80 westbound near Exit 39 has been limited to two lanes rather than four, causing lengthy backups.
The situation is the result of a fiery June 22 crash, triggered when the brakes of a container chassis reportedly locked, forcing the truck to a stop in a center lane of traffic. A tanker truck carrying about 3,200 gallons of gasoline swerved to avoid the truck, hit the center divider and tipped onto the other side. A third truck rammed the stalled container and both of those trucks caught fire. The fire destroying the westbound lanes of the bridge.
A temporary bridge with only two lanes instead of the usual four has made for long delays, particularly during the 4 to 7 p.m. rush hour.
A permanent replacement bridge was expected to be finished in late September or early October. However, it now looks like it may be open by the first of September. According to published reports, eight steel I-beams – four more than work crews had expected to receive – were delivered to the site last week. Officials said this may allow workers to push up the construction schedule. Officials did not expect to get all the 7-ton I-beams until next month.
0 Comments