Lambertville-New Hope bridge celebrated with Mummers, April Fools' joke
LAMBERTVILLE – The "new" bridge over the Delaware River between downtown Lambertville and New Hope was rededicated April 1 with the launch of the new lighting system and Mummers marching across the span's new walkway.
The rededication ceremony also included an April's Fools Day joke.
After students in the South Hunterdon Regional Elementary School's Crazy 8s Math Club counted down to the color-programable LED architectural lighting system being switched on, nothing happened, and the bridge stayed dark.
It was an April Fools' Day joke when the 1,800 lights did not come on.
Following gasps and then laughter from the crowd, the students' second countdown officially activated the lights.
The system's pier lights were kept off due to the annual shad run in the river that is expected to continue into mid-May. The 42nd annual Lambertville Shad Festival will be held 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 26-27.
The $25 million project was a comprehensive rehabilitation of the 120-year-old bridge. The last previous rehabilitation was in 2004.
More: Lambertville named one of the best in the US by HGTV
'Today we celebrate the end of all this work,' Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission Executive Director Joe Resta said at the rededication ceremony. 'This bridge once again is in good repair and its service life is extended for new generations of residents, motorists, and visitors to traverse and enjoy.'
The ceremony culminated with members of the South Philadelphia String Band – an award-winning Mummers band – leading along the bridge's new walkway.
Work on the bridge began on Jan. 30, 2024, and was scheduled to be completed during the fall.
But during the painting of the bridge in the summer, a severely deteriorated steel structural pin was discovered which necessitated a 10-day shutdown of the bridge in January. The bridge reopened to traffic in both directions on Feb. 14.
A total of 4,519,653 vehicular crossings were recorded at the bridge in 2022 for an average of 12,400 vehicles per day.
The 1,053-foot bridge was built in 1904 by the New Hope Delaware Bridge Company, replacing a wooden covered bridge that was destroyed in the 'Pumpkin Flood' of October 1903. The crossing was originally operated as a privately owned toll bridge before becoming a publicly owned, non-tolled bridge in 1920.
Email: mdeak@MyCentralJersey.com
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Lambertville-New Hope NJ bridge marked with Mummers, April Fools' joke
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