Travel Alert: Route 22 East Closing in Easton This Week

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission is reminding drivers that new traffic patterns will go into affect on Route 22 starting this week.

The commission plans to close the eastbound part of the highway from just before Fourth Street in Easton to the toll bridge in Phillipsburg until the middle of December.

That means traffic on that part of the highway will be diverted to the westbound side. East and west traffic will each operate in two single lanes next to each other.

The commission is offering drivers a map of the changes, and posted a detailed breakdown on the changes on its website:

• Eastbound Route 22 - Traffic will begin to be restricted to a single lane at milepost 336.4, which is slightly east of the 13th Street exit and slightly west of Cemetery Curve in Easton; the resulting single lane will proceed to slightly before Fourth Street where it will shift into the left westbound lane proceeding through the project area, crossing the toll bridge, and shifting back to the westbound side and two lanes near the toll plaza in Phillipsburg.
• Westbound Route 22 - Traffic will begin to be restricted to a single lane at point roughly 1,600 feet east of the toll plaza in Phillipsburg; the single lane will fan out to either two or three toll-collection lanes at the plaza, merging back to a single lane after the plaza, and then continuing as a single lane across the toll bridge and along Route 22 in Easton to a point shortly after Fourth Street, where it will resume as a two-lane roadway.
• On ramp from Larry Holmes Drive/Route 611 to Route 22 east - This ramp will close down and remain closed until mid-fall. A detour will be put into place to direct motorists to the nearby Second Street/Bushkill Street access ramp for Route 22 east.
• Second Street/Bushkill Street ramp to Route 22 east - This ramp will be extended through the work zone with a stop sign at the point where it will junction with Route 22 east. This ramp will remain open for the duration of time while the ramp at Larry Holmes Drive/Route 611 is closed.
• Trucks - No "permit" loads (trucks exceeding weight, height and size limits) are permitted. Trucks are strictly limited to 13-foot, 6-inch heights, 60-foot lengths, and maximum 80,000 pound loads