The Delaware River crested today four feet above flood stage at Lambertville, N.J., 15 miles north of Trenton. Minor flooding forced evacuations of homes and businesses on Swan Street and Lambert Lane, two of the city’s most flood-prone zones.
Lambertville has been without electricity since 12:45 a.m. Sunday. Jersey Central Power and Light shut off power to the city for safety reasons at the height of Hurricane Irene. There is no word as to when power will be restored.
New Jersey Route 29, a major artery into the city, is closed south of Lambertville because of flooding. The other main roads into town are open, though localized flooding remains in spots.
Swollen by Hurricane Irene, the Delaware River rushed forcefully below the New Hope-Lambertville Free Bridge, a key artery into the city. Tree trunks and other debris carried by the river crashed into bridge supports, forcing the temporary closure of the bridge Sunday. The bridge reopened Sunday afternoon.
Swan Creek, which feeds into the Delaware and runs parallel to homes along Swan Street, exceeded its banks early Sunday morning. The creek flooding swept up a pleasure boat from a backyard along Swan Street, sending the boat hurtling into a bridge over the creek on South Union Street. The impact knocked out a 10-foot section of guardrail on the 93-year-old bridge, forcing its closure. The bridge remains closed pending a safety inspection.
Lambertville has suffered four floods since 2004. The scope of this flood is lesser than the previous three, each of which shut down businesses for several days in Lambertville and neighboring New Hope, Pa.