The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 5 announced road restrictions will begin Thursday for a project to rehabilitate the Route 873 Lehigh Gap Bridge over the Lehigh River, Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Trail, Paint Mill Road, and Norfolk Southern Railroad in Washington Township, Lehigh County and Lehigh Township, Northampton County.

The southbound lane on the Route 873 Bridge will be closed and detoured. Route 873 south traffic will be detoured on Route 248, Route 145, and Main Street.

Route 873 south will be closed for most of the project. There will also be times when both Route 873 north and south are closed, and these times are limited to weeknights (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and over two weekends (8 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday) to perform critical activities. Advance notice will be provided to the public when full closures are scheduled.

Work will include bridge cleaning, structural steel repairs, bearing repairs, painting, expansion joint replacement, concrete deck repairs, and placement of a deck overlay.

The Route 873 Lehigh Gap Bridge was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1984. The seven span bridge is 1,024 feet long and 26 feet wide. Spans one and seven are riveted steel through girders, and spans two through six are steel trusses. Route 873 in this area has an average daily traffic volume of 9,562 vehicles.

Kriger Construction, Inc. of Scranton, PA is the general contractor on the $6,923,127 project, which is expected to be complete in February 2026.

The project calls for the rehabilitation of the Route 873 Lehigh Gap Bridge over the Lehigh River Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L) Trail, Paint Mill Road, and Norfolk Southern Railroad in Washington Township, Lehigh County and Lehigh Township, Northampton County.

“Work will include bridge cleaning, structural steel repairs, bearing repairs, painting, expansion joint replacement, concrete deck repairs, and placement of a deck overlay,” spokesman Ron Young said. “Approach roadway work will be limited to milling and paving.”