All four lanes will be open on both spans of the bridge from Friday through Wednesday, officials said
Construction on both spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge will be suspended for the long Fourth of July weekend, but road work in Delaware could slow some interstate travel.
The left lane on the New Jersey-bound span of the Delaware Memorial Bridge is seen closed Monday for construction work. All lanes on both bridges will be open for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. (Bill Gallo Jr. | For NJ.com)Beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, July 1, through 6 a.m. Wednesday, July 6, all four lanes on the northbound and southbound bridges will be open to traffic, according to the Delaware River and Bay Authority, operator of the spans.
Work has been ongoing to replace "suspender ropes" which connect the large suspension cables on the bridge to the roadway.
In April, three lanes of the four-lane southbound span had to be shut down and traffic shifted to the right lane in what was described as emergency work on the suspender ropes.
The lane closures caused massive backups.
Work on the suspender ropes has continued since.
Massive paint job spruces up the bridges
As in the past, traffic is expected to be heavy during this holiday weekend, officials say.
Based on historical data, motorists should expect the heaviest traffic during the following time periods:
* Friday: 12 noon to 7 p.m.
* Saturday: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
* Tuesday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Once southbound motorists make it from New Jersey into Delaware, they still must maneuver through the massive Interstate 295 reconstruction project.
Through that construction area, only two lanes of traffic are open.
In 2015, 310,021 vehicles used the Delaware Memorial during the Fourth of July holiday period Thursday, July 2 through Monday, July 6, DRBA officials said.
Motorists can monitor the latest traffic information on the bridge on Twitter @demembridge or by viewing the live bridge traffic cameras at www.drba.net.
Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.