Overnight Road/Ramp Closures on NJ Side of Scudder Falls Bridge July 16 & 17

The NJ Route 29 northbound bypass roadway at the I-295/I-95 interchange (Exit 76 /Old Exit 1) is schedule to be closed with a posted detour through the interchange OVERNIGHT 10 p.m. Monday, July 16, to 6 a.m. Tuesday, July 17

NJ Route 175 and the onramp to I-295 South will be closed with a posted detour OVERNIGHT 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 17, to 6 a.m. Wednesday, July 18; a detour map is available here: http://www.drjtbc.org/wp-content/uploads/Route_175_Detour_Map_121417.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

 

 

Special Notice for Delaware River Boaters

All watercraft seeking to navigate through the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project construction zone are advised to travel between the lines of red and green buoys that outline the river channel through the area.

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 July 15

Travel restrictions for the week of July 15 are as follows:

New Jersey

  • Route 29 northbound bypass of I-295/I-95 interchange - OVERNIGHT closure with posted detour through the interchange 10 p.m. Monday, July 16, to 6 a.m. Tuesday, July 17
  • Route 175/Upr. River Road - OVERNIGHT closure with posted detour (click here for map: http://www.drjtbc.org/wp-content/uploads/Route_175_Detour_Map_121417.jpg) 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 17, to 6 a.m. Wednesday, July 18; AND intermittent alternating single-lane travel controlled by flaggers 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, July 16, to Friday, July 20

Pennsylvania side

  • I-95 noth 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, July 16, through Friday, July 20
  • 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, July 16, through Friday, July 20
  • Taylorsville Rd. (Lower Makefield, PA) in vicinity of I-95 - Intermittent single-lane patterns 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, July 16, to Friday, July 20
  • River Road/Route 32 – Intermittent alternating single-lane travel controlled by flaggers 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, July 16, to Friday, July 20
  • Woodside Rd. (west of Taylorsville Rd.) - Right or left lane closures with passage maintained in each direction and/or flagging-controlled travel 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, July 16, to Friday, July 20

Weekends: Aside from any carry over of possible Friday travel restrictions into Saturdays, no other project-related closures are scheduled for the weekends of July 14-15 and 21-22

Construction Update - Week of July 15

Major project construction tasks for the week of July 15 include:

  • PA I-95 highway median - Install retaining walls and slab; subgrade/subbase construction and paving.
  • PA I-95 bridge approach/area of Taylorsville Rd. interchange (New Exit 10, Old Exit 51) - Staged construction for I-95 bridges over Delaware Canal and Taylorsville Road; roadway, drainage and waterline activities at Taylorsville/Woodside intersection and interchange's new temporary ramps; and traffic signal foundation installation.
  • Upstream of PA approach to Scudder Falls Bridge (work area between River Rd./Route 32 and Taylorsville Rd.) - Drainage installation in vicinity of new upstream bridge's Pennsylvania abutment; wall and foundation construction  in area of bridge monitor/AET building; and construct toe wall and grade beams for the BM/AET building.
  • Pennsylvania side of replacement bridge's upstream span (vicinity of River/Woodside roads and the river) – Cure concrete for pier caps, strip forms, and seal pier at first in-water pier (Pier 2); continue column construction at second in-water pier (Pier 3); continue pier cap construction and seal pier at third water-based pier (Pier 4).
  • I-295/Route 29 interchange (Exit 76, Old Exit 1) area – ; Install high-mast lighting foundations; roadway construction/drainage/sub-base/paving within various interchange ramps and at downstream roundabout; and continue various construction tasks at new elevated entry and exit ramps; install mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) panel near the new upstream bridge.
  • I-295 north near Bear Tavern Road exit - Noise wall construction.