NJDOT officials announced that Route 22 eastbound traffic has been placed onto the southern half of the new viaduct being constructed over Liberty Avenue in Hillside, Union County.

On Nov. 21, NJDOT’s contractor, Union Paving and Construction Inc., shifted both Route 22 eastbound travel lanes onto the recently completed southern portion of the new viaduct and began setting up the new construction zone for the northern half of the bridge. Route 22 westbound remains in place along the existing viaduct at this time.

The $22 million project is replacing the existing, structurally deficient viaduct with two new separate structures: a single span bridge over the ShopRite access road and a multiple span bridge over Liberty Avenue and Conrail. The new viaduct is being built on a new alignment, 23 ft. (7 m) to the south of the existing structure. Shifting the roadway alignment to the south allows NJDOT to maintain traffic on Route 22 during construction and helps hasten completion of the project.

Construction began in June 2010 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.