Photo courtesy of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.After several years of delay, work is progressing on the $500 million Scudder Falls Bridge improvement project with a completion date in late 2021, the Bucks County Courier Times reports.
A new span is being built across the Delaware River next to the existing Interstate 95 bridge. In addition, a lane is being added in both directions on I-95 on the Pennsylvania side, and improvements are being made to roads near the bridge, along with drainage upgrades.
When the first new span is finished in 2019, traffic will shift over to it, and the current bridge will be demolished so a second new span can be built in its place and electronic tolls instituted. Joe Donnelly, spokesman for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, says the completely finished bridge will feature three lanes in each direction instead of the current two, shoulders and deceleration lanes, a pedestrian lane for walking and cycling, and improved exits and entrances. “Ideally in the end, we have a bridge that is much safer and more efficient,” he told the news agency.
The bridge tolls will be used to pay back the $430 million bond that financed most of the project. Tolls on motorists traveling from New Jersey to Pennsylvania will be $1.25 for those with E-ZPass, 75 cents for those with an E-ZPass commuter discount, and $2.60 for those without E-ZPass. Larger vehicles, such as trucks, will pay higher tolls based on the number of axles.
