Governor Chris Christie’s order to halt $3.5 billion of “nonessential” road and rail projects across New Jersey went into effect at midnight last Friday. Concerned about delays to a key bridge replacement project on Carter Road, Mayor Liz Lempert is supporting Mercer County in its efforts to get the state to make an exemption and let work on that bridge continue.

The Carter Road project is key because it is scheduled to become a detour route when work on two bridges along Route 206 undergo repairs later this year. Those repairs cannot begin until the Carter Road project is completed.

“It is a ridiculous situation that the state finds itself in, and it is shocking that the governor has allowed it to get to this point,” Ms. Lempert said Tuesday. “This is far beyond potholes. This is a bridge that is essential for people to get to school, to work, to town, to get home. It’s going to be disruptive enough to do the work that needs to be done over several months. To add time to the construction project is unacceptable.”

Mr. Christie’s plan was implemented as the result of a stalemate with Senate lawmakers over which taxes should be cut in exchange for raising the gas tax to fund road work. The Route 206 project will involve the Department of Transportation replacing one bridge and fixing the bridge over the Stony Brook. That bridge is the oldest in New Jersey.

The completion date for the Carter Road bridge was originally scheduled to be August 29. Work on the Route 206 bridges is supposed to begin immediately thereafter and last until December 8. Princeton Council voted recently to approve extended working hours for DOT crews, allowing them to work until 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday in order to expedite the project.

“Part of the issue now is that if the work isn’t done by December, then it is possible the road would need to remain closed until work could be completed in the spring,” Ms. Lempert said. “Weather could also affect the schedule. Even a delay of one week can have serious implications.”

The work stoppage could continue indefinitely until there is money put into the state’s Transportation Trust Fund. “The Senate has scheduled a session for August 1, but it is unclear how long it’s going to take the governor and the legislature to come to an agreement,” Ms. Lempert said.

Mercer County officials have emailed legislators to request the exemption for Carter Road. “This is extremely disturbing about what the outcome is going to mean to Princeton,” Ms. Lempert said. “But we’re hopeful that work can resume. I think that everybody recognizes the importance of this project and the importance of staying on schedule. We could lose the whole winter because of the delay.”