Major delays on Delaware Memorial Bridge due to rope work

Drivers heading into Delaware from New Jersey via the Delaware Memorial Bridge can expect big backups as repair work is completed on multiple suspender ropes.

Three out of four travel lanes were closed Tuesday afternoon causing major delays by mid-afternoon. The Delaware River and Bay Authority says the lanes could remain closed through Wednesday morning.

Construction crews are working to replace three suspender ropes or cables which support the road surface over the Delaware River. The cables being replaced are in close proximity to each other near the left lane of the bridge. To reduce the load that side of the bridge carries as the cables are replaced, only the right lane is open to vehicles. 

The replacement is expected to be completed sometime Wednesday morning. At that time, DRBA officials will open another lane, allowing passage on two lanes heading into Delaware. 

DRBA identified the need to replace several suspender ropes after corrosion was found in the cables and in the brackets that connect them to the bridge. The replacement of those ropes was expected to cost $1 million according to capital program plans posted on the DRBA website.