NJDOT Traffic Advisory: Route 15 lane closure in Lafayette, Sussex County

Route 15 lane closure with alternating traffic beginning Friday night for bridge project in Lafayette, Sussex County 

Temporary traffic signals in place for a month to construct temporary bridge

(Trenton) – Route 15 southbound is scheduled to be closed with alternating traffic maintained on Route 15 northbound beginning Friday night and continuing for a month for a bridge replacement project in Lafayette, Sussex County. 

Beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, August 21 until 7 a.m. Saturday, August 22, Route 15 southbound is scheduled to be closed between the Lafayette Fire House and Morris Farm Road. Alternating traffic will be maintained on Route 15 northbound with flagmen overnight. In addition, NJ State Police will assist with temporary 15-minute traffic stoppages. The closure is necessary to restripe the roadway, install construction barrier, and install temporary traffic signals to maintain alternating traffic on Route 15 northbound through mid-September.

By 7 a.m. Saturday, August 21, the temporary traffic signals will be activated to maintain alternating traffic on Route 15 northbound between the Lafayette Fire House to the north and Lafayette Municipal Parking Lot to the south. In addition, there also will be temporary light towers and temporary traffic signals to access the Lafayette Pond Park and several driveways. This traffic pattern will remain in place for a month. The current driveway to the Lafayette Pond Park parking lot will be closed through the duration of the project with access maintained via a temporary driveway that has already been constructed during an earlier stage.

The alternating traffic pattern is necessary to construct a temporary bridge on the southbound side of Route 15. Once the temporary bridge is completed, the temporary traffic signals will be removed and two-way traffic will be restored and shifted onto the temporary bridge to allow for the demolition and reconstruction of the Route 15 Bridge over Paulins Kill.

Motorists should expect delays on Route 15 during construction and are advised to consider alternate routes utilizing Route 94 and Route 206.

The work is part of a $4.7 million project to replace the bridge over Paulins Kills, which is in poor condition, in Lafayette, Sussex County. The new bridge will be wider with a 12-foot travel lane, 8-foot shoulder and 6-foot sidewalk in the northbound direction and a 15-foot travel lane and 7-foot sidewalk in the southbound direction. In addition, ADA-compliant sidewalk and curb ramps will be installed on the southbound side to extend to the sidewalk to the driveway of Lafayette Center Preservation Foundation/Ludlum-Mabee House. The project is expected to be completed in fall 2027.

The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT's traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information, and for NJDOT news follow us on X (Twitter) @NewJerseyDOT, the NJDOT Facebook page, or on Instagram @NewJersey.DOT.