$396M Bid Approved For Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission on Monday approved a $396 million construction contract for the Scudder Falls Bridge replacement project. A $475 million bond authorization to finance the project was also approved.

The lone bidder — Trumbull Corporation of Pittsburgh — was awarded the contract to replace the bridge on I-95 that connects New Jersey and Pennsylvania over the Delaware River between Bucks and Mercer counties.

"A precise start date for construction is not yet available, but the contractor probably will be in a position to start survey work sometime in March with construction activities possibly beginning in April," the DRJTBC said in an announcement.

The project is expected to take about four and a half years to be completed.

“When completed, this comprehensive project should greatly improve the quality of life for commuters and other drivers by reducing travel times and improving safety," said Joseph Resta, executive director of the Commission

The replacement of the 57-year-old bridge is aimed to improve capacity and safety, as well as overall configuration.

Under the project, the current four-lane Scudder Falls Bridge will be replaced with a dual-span structure carrying six lanes of through traffic (three in each direction), and three auxiliary lanes (two northbound, one southbound) for traffic merging on and off the bridge.

The bridge will not be closed during construction.

"The Commission plans to keep traffic moving along the affected I-95 segment and across the river at all times. The current Scudder Falls Bridge will remain in service until the first of the new dual replacement spans is completed and opened to traffic sometime in 2019," the DRJTBC said.

The Commission will begin collecting tolls in the southbound direction only starting in 2019. Click here to learn about the toll rates approved in September.

According to the DRJTBC, other elements of the project include:

• Improvements of approach roadways in the 4.4-mile project corridor along I-95 between the highway’s PA Route 332/Yardley/Newtown Interchange in Pennsylvania (Exit 49) and the highway’s County Route 579/Bear Tavern Road Interchange in New Jersey (Exit 2). This work will include the widening of the Pennsylvania I-95 approach between Exit 49 and the bridge by adding an additional travel lane in the existing median (widening to the inside) in each direction.
• Reconfiguration of the I-95/Taylorsville Road Interchange (Exit 51) in PA, and reconstruction of the entire I-95/Route 29 Interchange (Exit 1) in NJ and associated ramps and structures;
• Construction of a pedestrian/bicycle walkway alongside the main river bridge that will connect to the recreational canal paths in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey;
• Construction of noise abatement walls where warranted in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey;
• Installation of an all-electronic toll (AET) gantry and related infrastructure in the southbound direction consisting of highway-speed E-ZPass tag readers and high-speed video cameras for license-plate billing.

Click here for more information about the project.

Photo: Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission