Headed south? 'Urgent' work on Delaware Memorial Bridge causing a snarl

The southbound span will be down to one lane for the next several days, officials say.

Traffic on the southbound span of the Delaware Memorial Bridge has been restricted to one lane as construction workers perform what has been described as "urgent" work on support cables.

The "suspender ropes" being fixed connect the huge suspension cables with the bridge roadway.

Jim Salmon, a spokesman for the the Delaware River and Bay Authority which operates the bridge said traffic was funneled into one lane beginning Tuesday and was expected to continue that way for the next several days.

"We pride ourselves on customer service," Salmon said. "We don't want to inconvenience them, but this is something that has to be done."

Salmon said work has been ongoing on the suspender ropes, but inspections found three in close proximity to one another -- near the Delaware tower -- were deemed "priorities" on the replacement list.

In a release from the DRBA, the work was described as "urgent."

Salmon said the bridge remains safe.

There are have been no weight restrictions placed on vehicles, he said.

Salmon said the closing of the three left lanes was so that weight on the bridge was shifted away from the area where the work was underway.

Once the initial project is complete, two left lanes of the bridge will remain closed for about two weeks so more work can continue.

Major road work near the bridge

The four-lane span, which connects Pennsville and New Castle County, Delaware is a key link along the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Traffic on the southbound lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 295 all merge together near the bridge to cross over the Delaware River to points south.

Motorists who want to use the Delaware-bound span can check DRBA traffic cameras to see if there are any major backups.

Motorists may follow the Bridge on Twitter @demembridge for the latest in traffic information.

The New Jersey-bound span of the bridge has not been impacted by the work.

Some 35 million motorists use the two spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge each year.

One alternative for southbound travelers would be to use the Commodore Barry Bridge to connect with Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania.