Construction has started on a new bridge over the New Jersey Turnpike in West Deptford, just north of the Ogden Station Road overpass… which is to only be used by authorized vehicles. The area has been cleared, and a foundation for the bridge’s center support is already visible in the middle of the Turnpike.
The bridge is part of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s Grade-Separated U-Turn Program. It will allow maintenance crews, State Police and emergency responders to cross over the highway and travel in the opposite direction without using an opening in the median barrier. The bridge and its ramps will be for authorized vehicles only, not regular Turnpike traffic. (NJTA.gov)
This is a considerable construction project for what is, essentially, a U-turn. Based on the plans I’ve reviewed, the West Deptford location will have ramps leading up to a bridge over the Turnpike and back down to the roadway in the opposite direction. I have not yet obtained the presentation materials for this particular site, so I cannot confirm the precise ramp layout.
Each effort was designed following the rules of the No Net Loss Compensatory Reforestation Program, with care taken to minimize the impact of the surrounding forested areas.
The West Deptford project, at milepost 19.0, is paired in a construction contract with a second U-turn at milepost 6.4 in Oldmans Township, Salem County. Together, the two locations represent approximately $43 million in construction work.
Why does the Turnpike need new U-turns?
The Turnpike currently has openings in the median barrier that authorized vehicles can use to switch directions. According to the Turnpike Authority, a driver using one of those openings must stop on the left shoulder and then accelerate into the left travel lane. The openings also cannot accommodate some larger emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks.
The new crossings will let responders and maintenance crews change direction between interchanges using either a bridge over the Turnpike or a route beneath it. As part of the program, the authority plans to eliminate 23 existing median cut-throughs.
There are seven locations in the program: six new U-turns and one replacement.
- Milepost 6.4 — Oldmans Township
- Milepost 13.4 — Woolwich Township, replacing an existing U-turn
- Milepost 19.0 — West Deptford Township
- Milepost 23.0 — Deptford Township
- Milepost 29.1 — Lawnside, near Haddonfield and Tavistock
- Milepost 43.0 — Westampton Township
- Milepost 46.1 — Springfield Township
The designs will differ by location. The plans presented for Deptford appear to show a larger layout with 4 ramps (Inbound and exit, for both turnpike directions). At some other sites, the authority can route vehicles through an existing underpass with enough room to create connecting ramps.
While I will get confirming diagrams, it appears the West Deptford bridge design will be a literal “U” with two ramps, one on each side of the roadway. The design still caters authorized vehicles to move in all directions.
Public meetings have been held in several of the affected communities, including West Deptford last year and Deptford Township earlier this year. The Turnpike Authority expects the overall Grade-Separated U-Turn Program to be completed in 2029.
Separately, as reported here previously at 42Freeway the authority plans to add a third travel lane in each direction between Turnpike interchanges 1 and 4. Several of the new U-turns fall within that stretch of roadway, although the authority lists the widening and U-turn work as separate programs. I will have an update on the widening project shortly.
