As of late afternoon Friday, Route 206 is still closed in both directions at the Stony Brook Bridge in Princeton. The road is expected to remain closed Friday and Saturday, state officials said.
During rush hour Friday morning, traffic in the area was backed up for miles. Take an alternate route if you can and avoid the Route 206 and Mercer Street/Princeton Pike area between Quaker Road and the border of Lawrence if you can.
The detour for both car and truck traffic that was set up by the NJDOT and is as follows: Route 206 southbound traffic is being diverted to Route 518 to Carter Road; northbound traffic is being diverted Carter Road to Route 518.
The Princeton Police Department implemented a secondary detour, diverting southbound traffic onto Hutchinson Drive to Mercer Road to Lovers Lane, and northbound traffic onto Lovers Lane, then Mercer Road, then Hutchinson Drive.
Detour signs, road closed signs, traffic cones and barricades were placed in the area.
The closure will remain in effect until repair work has been completed.
On Monday a parapet collapsed on the southbound side of the historic stone bridge over Stony Brook, just past Quaker Road, near the Hun School and Jasna Plana Country Club. While inspecting the parapet and bridge, NJDOT engineers discovered cracks and voids that had developed within the stone arches that support the structure.
State officials said the closure will permit repairs while ensuring the safety of motorists and those crossing this historic structure.