$20 million approved to rehab Port Jervis and Callicoon bridges
Nearly $20 million was approved for the Callicoon and Port Jervis river bridges, with work set to affect daily commutes, summer traffic and freight on both sides of the Delaware.
Port Jervis commuters, Callicoon drivers and Upper Delaware businesses got a clear signal that bridge work will keep shaping travel this summer: the New York-Pennsylvania Joint Interstate Bridge Commission approved $19.91 million to rehab the Callicoon-Damascus and Port Jervis-Matamoras spans, money that will keep both crossings functioning while crews continue phased repairs.
The commission met May 13 at PennDOT headquarters in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, and signed off on $11.55 million for the Callicoon, New York-Damascus, Pennsylvania Bridge and $8.36 million for the Port Jervis, New York-Matamoras, Pennsylvania Bridge. The spending falls under the April 1, 2026-March 31, 2027 budget and is split evenly between New York and Pennsylvania. For residents who cross the Delaware River every week, that means the region’s most important shared road links are being maintained instead of left to deteriorate.
The Callicoon-Damascus Bridge, built in 1961, is already ahead of schedule after winter construction lasted longer than expected. The contractor is aiming to be substantially complete this year, with remaining steel repairs planned for late July and final touch-ups next spring. Normal traffic is expected to return by late August, a key milestone for local commuting and for the seasonal traffic that moves through the Upper Delaware corridor in summer.
The Port Jervis-Matamoras Bridge carries even heavier daily pressure. Local reporting has described the 1939 Route 6/209 crossing as handling about 15,440 vehicles a day, and the rehabilitation there was awarded to JD Eckman of Atglen, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. The work is being done in three phases while traffic stays moving. Pedestrian and bicycle access is not affected, and the next vehicular closure could begin May 19 if weather cooperates, with May 27 and 28 listed as backup dates. The project is expected to wrap in October 2026.
The commission also set aside $44,000 for general maintenance and snow-and-ice control in its 2026 plan, down from $46,622 the previous year, underscoring how tightly the agency is managing its remaining nine toll-free Delaware River bridges. One crossing was absent from the capital plan: the former Skinners Falls, New York-Milanville, Pennsylvania Bridge, which PennDOT demolished in April 2025 after inspectors found it in critical, failed condition. For now, the commission is continuing a preferred-alternatives study there, while the focus remains on keeping the crossings that still exist open, safe and usable.
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