Travel Restrictions for I-295 SB On-Ramp & Canal Towpath on NJ Side of Bridge

The NJ Route 175/Upper River Road on-ramp to I-295 NB will be closed and detoured during OVERNIGHT hours for construction activities associated with the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project -- 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21, to 6 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22. (DETOUR MAP AVALABLE HERE) and below.

 

The Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath will be closed during daytime hours -- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Sunday -- from Wednesday, Aug. 22, to Wednesday, Aug. 29. A map of  the affected area may be viewed here: http://www.drjtbc.org/wp-content/uploads/DR_canal_towpath_map_08_2018.jpg

     

 

 

 

 

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Total Project Area: 4.4 miles along I-95 from Yardley-Newtown Road/Route 332 Interchange (Exit 49) in Pennsylvania to Bear Tavern Road/Route 579 (Exit 2) in New Jersey

Major Project Elements:

  • Replace the current congestion-prone, functionally obsolete Scudder Falls Bridge with a dual-span structure carrying six thru-traffic lanes (three in each direction) and three auxiliary lanes (two northbound, one southbound) for traffic merging onto and off the bridge.
  • Widen to the inside the bridge’s Pennsylvania I-95 approach, increasing the roadway to three lanes in each direction.
  • Reconstruct the entire I-95/Route 29 Interchange (Exit 1) and its associated ramps and structures in Ewing, N.J.
  • Reconfigure the I-95/Taylorville Road Interchange (Exit 51) in Lower Makefield, PA.
  • Erect noise-abatement walls where warranted in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. (PA noise walls began in 2016)
  • Improve/expand drainage and approach-roadway exit/entry transitions in New Jersey.
  • Construct a pedestrian/bicycle walkway on the new bridge’s upstream side, connecting the recreational canal towpaths in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
  • Install an all-electronic tolling (AET) gantry and related infrastructure for highway-speed toll collection along the new bridge’s southbound lanes through E-ZPass tag readers and high-speed video cameras for license-plate billing.
  • Mitigate environmental impacts from construction to protect shortnose sturgeon, red-bellied turtles, Indiana bats, yellow lampmussels, wetlands, and other natural and cultural resources.

Electronic Tolling Start (southbound only):  Sometime in 2019.

Estimated Full Project Duration: 4-1/2 years

Learn More

 

Project Progress Photos (click on photo below)

Project Progress Archives

 

 

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Project Videos

Project Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXq9L3Jm7iw

AET Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq_8BEokUrw

Travel Advisory -- Week of Aug.19

A series of postponed ramp closures/detours at the I-295/Route 29 Interchange are rescheduled to take place 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20 to 6 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21.  See left column or Press Room item for more info.

A 24/7 detour of Route 29 southbound traffic is set to go into effect 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, in the vicinity of the Scudder Falls Bridge.  Affected Route 29 traffic will be detoured to nearby Route 175 until August 28.  Detours also will be in effect at at the slip ramp to Route 29 south from I-295 north (old I-95 south); this traffic also will be directed to Route 175.    

The full schedule of travel restrictions for the week of Aug. 19 are as follows:

New Jersey

  • I-295 SB/EB (old I-95 NB) ramp to Route 29 NB & SB - detour 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20, to 6 a.m., Aug. 21.  Posted detour via CR-579/Bear Tavern Rd. interchange (Exit 75, old exit 2). Detour map here.
  • Route 29 NB access to on-ramp for I-295 NB/WB and Scudder Falls Bridge into PA - Posted detour 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20, to 6 a.m. Aug. 21.  Detour via CR-579/Bear Tavern Road interchange (Exit 75, old exit 2).  Detour map here.
  • Route 29 SB approaching the I-295 interchange - An extended detour will be in place 24/7 from 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, to Tuesday, Aug. 28.  The slip ramp from to Route 29 SB from I-295 NB (old I-95 SB) will also be closed during this period with affected traffic also directed to Route 175.
  • Route 175 on-ramp to I-295 SB - OVERNIGHT closure with posted detour via West Upper Ferry Road 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20, to 6 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21. Detour map here.
  • Route 29 NB detour - Use alternative route through intersection OVERNIGHT 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (next day) Wednesday, Aug. 22, and Thursday, Aug. 23.

Pennsylvania side

  • I-95 north from the Route 332/Newtown-Yardley interchange (Exit 49) to the Scudder Falls Bridge – Intermittent single-lane travel configurations 10 a.m. to 6 a.m. (next day) Monday, Aug. 20, through Friday, Aug. 24
  • I-95 south from the Scudder Falls Bridge to the Route 332/Newtown-Yardley interchange (exit 49) – Intermittent single-lane travel configurations 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. (next day) Monday, Aug. 20, through Friday, Aug. 24
  • Taylorsville Rd. (Lower Makefield, PA) in vicinity of I-95 - Intermittent single-lane patterns with possible flagger-controlled travel 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20, to Friday, Aug. 24
  • River Road/Route 32 – Intermittent alternating single-lane travel controlled by flaggers 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20, to Friday, Aug. 24
  • Woodside Rd. (west of Taylorsville Rd.) - Right or left lane closures with passage maintained in each direction and/or flaggers 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20, to Friday, Aug. 24

Weekends: Aside from the extended detour of Route 29 SB and the slip ramp from I-295 NB to Route 29 SB, and any carry over of possible Friday travel restrictions into Saturdays, no other project-related closures are scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 25-26

NJ Delaware & Raritan (D&R) Canal Towpath: The Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath on the New Jersey side of the Scudder Falls Bridge wil be closed during daytime hours to ensure public safety during a new phase of project construction near the canal 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22, to Wednesday, Aug. 29 with the exception of Sunday, Aug. 26, OPEN, and possibly Saturday, Aug. 25 TBD. 

PA Delaware Canal Towpath: The towpath for the Delaware Canal on the Pennsylvania side of the Scudder Falls Bridge will be closed for mobilization and construction activities around-the-clock Mondays through Saturdays.  Public access is Sundays-only through August.  A map of the closed area may be accessed here.

Construction Update - Week of August 19

Major project work activities for the week of Aug. 19 include:

  • PA-I-295 - Roadway construction and drainage work.
  • Taylorsville Rd. interchange area (Exit 10, Old Exit 51), Woodside Road, and bridge over Delaware Canal - Roadway construction/drainage/waterline activities at the intersection of Woodside and Taylorsville roads, Taylorsville Road northbound, and new temporary interchange ramps; continue abutment piles and install support of excavation at the highway bridge over the canal.
  • Upstream of PA approach to Scudder Falls Bridge (work area between River Rd./Route 32 and Taylorsville Rd.) - Continue wall construction in area of bridge monitor (BM)/all-electronic tolling (AET) facility; begin wall and floor construction for the actual BM/AET building; form, place rebar and pour footing for upstream bridge's PA abutment.
  • Pennsylvania side of replacement bridge's upstream span (vicinity of River/Woodside roads and the river) – Remove cofferdam and backfill at first in-water pier (Pier 2); cure pier cap, remove cofferdam, backfill and begin removing access trestle at second in-water pier (Pier 3); remove cofferdam, backfill and begin removing access trestle at third in-water pier (Pier 4); install bearings on completed PA piers and erect steel girders from completed New Jersey steelwork to new PA piers.
  • New Jersey side of replacement bridge's upstream span - seal concrete caps, columns and footings at land-based pier between river and Route 29 (Pier 6).
  • I-295/Route 29 interchange (Exit 76, Old Exit 1) area – Roadway construction/drainage/sub-base/paving within various interchange ramps and downstream roundabout; continue various construction tasks -- including installation of concrete decks, approach slabs, and barrier/parapets -- at new elevated entry/exit ramps.
  • NJ I-295 northbound approach before interchange - Install foundations, posts and panels for noise-abatement walls.
  • New Jersey and Pennsylvania -- Continue erosion control construction at various locations in both states.