Ice jam flooding still causing problems near Statehouse on inauguration day

Two exits on southbound Route 29 in Trenton are closed Tuesday morning, complicating traffic around the Statehouse with the gubernatorial inauguration hours away.

The southbound exits to Memorial Drive and Market Street are closed, the state Department of Transportation said.

All northbound exits are open, but people headed to the inauguration should allow extra time and anticipate congestion, the DOT said.

Local traffic on Route 29 southbound may use Sullivan Way or Calhoun Street exits as alternate routes into Trenton, but should expect heavy traffic. Southbound traffic is also being directed to the traffic light at Cass Street to make a U-turn onto Route 29 northbound to get to the Capitol complex.

The highway was shut in the area of Calhoun Street after the Delaware River spilled over its banks Monday and remained closed early Tuesday, but has since been reopened as of 7:30 a.m.

The Delaware River flooding is slowly beginning to subside, according to the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydraulic Prediction Service. The river was at 18.62 feet as of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday -- flood stage is 20 feet.

It peaked at 20.38 feet at 11:15 a.m. Monday, the weather service said.

While the Delaware River isn't expected to rise above flood stage again in the next several days, it's still projected to be at 19 feet at 1 p.m. Thursday so that stretch of Route 29 could be closed for several more days.

The inauguration ceremony starts at 11 a.m. Democrat Phil Murphy is scheduled to be sworn in at noon at the Patriots Theatre at the War Memorial. The ceremony is about a half-mile from the Route 29 closure.

An ice jam is stationary accumulation of fragmented ice that restricts water flow.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated as road conditions changed on Route 29 early Tuesday.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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