Route 32 Construction Details Revealed

LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA —A Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission contractor is initiating preparations for a small improvement project along a section of Route 32/River Road in the vicinity of the Scudder Falls (I-295) Toll Bridge.

Weather permitting, the work —which began Monday —should be completed before the end of 2023.

The project is expected to yield the following improvements:

• Demolition, removal, and cleanup of a former residence at the corner of River Road and Woodside Road. The removal of the house will enable the Commission to increase the buffer area that was established as part of the 2017-2022 toll bridge construction project.
• Improving River Road/Woodside Road intersection. A portion of the residential property will be regraded to remove a berm and overgrown vegetation that block driver sightlines approaching the intersection. A utility pole at the corner also is being removed. A new pole has been set 10 feet north to reduce the severity of the intersection’s turn radius.
• Guide rail installations along River Road/Route 32. As part of the project, the contractor will install new sections of guide rail along portions of River Road/Route 32. A key section will be on the river side of the River Road/Woodside Road intersection, mitigating the possibility of Woodside Road motorists speeding through the intersection and into the river.
• Landscaping. A variety of trees and bushes will be planted. Species include red maple, black gum, viburnum, winterberry, and bayberry. A treated split-rail fence also will be installed. Various areas will be seeded with rye grass and wildflowers.

The contractor – AP Construction of Blackwood, N.J. -- began site preparations Monday, placing temporary concrete barriers along the southbound lane of River Road/Route 32 beneath the bridge. Alternating single-lane travel restrictions controlled by flaggers were utilized for this work.

Long-term lane closures and detours are not expected to be needed for the duration of this project.

About the Commission

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission was formed statutorily by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey in 1934 and Congress ratified the arrangement under the Compact Clause of U.S. Constitution in August 1935.

The agency operates eight toll bridges and 12 toll-supported bridges, two of which are pedestrian-only spans. The Commission is a self-supporting public-service agency that receives neither federal nor state tax dollars to finance its projects or operations. Funding for the operations, maintenance and upkeep of its bridges and related transportation facilities is solely derived from revenues collected at its toll bridges.

The Commission's jurisdiction extends along the Delaware River from the Philadelphia-Bucks County line north to the New Jersey/New York border. More than 128.1 million cars and trucks crossed Commission bridges in 2022. For more information, please go to: www.drjtbc.org.