A "major" construction project to completely rebuild the driving surface of the Delaware Memorial Bridge is set to begin this fall, which will inevitably mean traffic backups for motorists.

The project will remove the top 2 inches of the northbound (New Jersey-bound) side of the bridge deck and replace it with an "ultra high-performance concrete," according to the Delaware River and Bay Authority. It is expected to begin next month.

In phase one, two lanes of the Delaware side of the bridge will be closed to traffic, with a third lane shut down overnight. The remaining two lanes will be open to traffic, as well as a bypass lane that will divert traffic around the construction.

The bypass lane will only be for traffic headed to the New Jersey Turnpike, however. Phase one is estimated to run from Sept. 6 to Nov. 22.

Phase two, which is expected to run from Feb. 1 to May 25, 2023, will close the left two lanes of the bridge. This will span the entire length of the bridge.

The third phase, estimated for Sept. 5 to Nov. 21 of next year, will close the two right lanes of the New Jersey side of the bridge. DRBA said the dates of the phases were determined based on the peak summer travel season, as well as consideration for the winter months.

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Drivers headed south on the bridge into Delaware likely won't see much change in traffic, given almost all the construction is occurring on the New Jersey-bound side. But DRBA said motorists "should expect traffic congestion and delays heading into New Jersey."

In addition to repaving the surface of the bridge, construction workers will repair the bridge's reinforcing mat and replace relief joints and expansion joints. The estimated cost of the project is $71 million.

To mitigate any crashes or other incidents on the bridge during construction, DRBA will have on-call and standby towing services throughout all construction phases. DRBA police have also developed an "incident operational plan."

A virtual town hall to discuss the project will be held at 10 a.m. on Aug. 16 via Zoom. For more information and to access the Zoom link, visit delawarememorialbridge.com/dmb-ultra-high-performance-concrete-project.

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