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Mayor: NJDOT and county aim to reopen Clarksville Road Bridge by end of 2026
Summary
Mayor Dan told the West Windsor Township Council that NJDOT has nearly completed a site-specific safety plan and is fabricating structural steel, with a target to reopen the Clarksville Road Bridge in about nine months pending Amtrak approval. County partners provided emergency grants to affected businesses.
Mayor Dan used his state-of-the-town address to place the reopening of the Clarksville Road Bridge at the center of the township's priorities, describing the closure as an urgent local problem that state and county agencies have taken on.
'The closure of the bridge is not our fault, but it's our responsibility,' Mayor Dan said, recounting that NJDOT's inspection prompted the bridge to close on Nov. 3, 2025. He said NJDOT and county partners had pursued multiple reopening options and settled on a staged approach: opening a single lane controlled by traffic signals while repair work proceeds.
The mayor said NJDOT's design team is evaluating traffic signal placement and that fabrication of the bridge's structural steel is already underway. 'They are committed to reopening the bridge on the promised timeline of 9 months which is by end of 2026,' he said, but added that Amtrak must approve the site-specific safety plan before installation and construction can proceed.
Mayor Dan credited County Executive Benson, County Engineer Sunonny Muzafur and Anthony Carabelli of the Mercer County Office of Economic Development for stepping in to help local businesses. He said those county efforts included $10,000 grants to each business in the Village Square Shopping Center to offset lost revenue while the bridge remains closed.
The mayor also praised residents' grassroots response: petitions and fundraisers that he said helped keep attention on the problem. He said NJDOT and the county are coordinating with Amtrak and contractors and that he has received regular updates on progress.
What's next: the mayor said NJDOT will submit the safety plan to Amtrak for approval and continue fabrication and preparatory work; council members and county officials will continue outreach to affected merchants while the township monitors the timetable.
Provenance: Mayor Dan remarks during the state-of-the-town address (topic intro SEG 592; topic finish SEG 723).
