New Scudder Falls Bridge Reaches Big Milestone

LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA — Construction on the new Scudder Falls Bridge reached a milestone on Monday, with the completion of concrete pouring on its upstream span.

Concrete pouring on the new bridge's first span began on March 14, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced.

All told, about 135,000 cubic feet of concrete were poured and pumped onto the new bridge’s 1,815-foot road deck over the past six weeks. That's about 20 million pounds of concrete, or about 10,000 tons.

Right lanes in the Pennsylvania-bound direction were used to unload nearly 500 concrete trucks.

The commission said concrete now will be allowed to cure until it reaches the proper strength. Then, more concrete will be brought in for the bridge's parapets and a reinforced median that will separate the walkway from vehicle traffic.

Also, a high-density polyester-polymer concrete will be added on top of the conventional concrete, the commission said. That one-inch layer will be longer lasting and more impervious to water and salt, officials said.

If construction stays on pace, the new bridge — just upriver from the existing Scudder Falls Bridge, which, at 59 years old, has been deemed "functionally obsolete" — is expected to be complete some time in July.

When the new Scudder Falls Bridge opens to the public, it will collect tolls at highway speeds in the Pennsylvania-bound direction through an electronic tolling system using an overhead gantry with E-ZPass tag readers and high-resolution cameras toll-by-plate invoicing.

The base E-ZPass car toll will be $1.25. The Toll-By-Plate car rate will be $2.60. Because of the cost difference, the commission is urging commuters to get E-ZPass accounts.

The toll processor for the Commission’s toll bridge network is the New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center and it may be reached by dialing 1-888-AUTO-TOLL (1-888-288-6865) or by going to www.ezpassnj.com. The full toll schedule for the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge, which was approved after public hearings in 2016, may be viewed by clicking here.

Once traffic is shifted onto the upstream span this summer, the current 59-year-old Scudder Falls Bridge will be closed and demolished. The new bridge’s second span will then be constructed immediately downstream of the first span. The second span is expected to open to traffic by early 2021.

When both spans are completed, the downstream span will only carry traffic in the NJ-bound direction and the upstream span will be converted to carry PA-direction traffic only. Full project completion is expected to occur later in 2021.