Project Overview
Increasing traffic congestion and deficiencies associated with the physical configuration of the bridge and its two adjacent interchanges led to the decision to replace the existing Scudder Falls Bridge with a modern structure featuring the latest design standards. Overall, the project will build 4.4 miles of highway and bridge improvements between the Newtown-Yardley Road/Route 332 Interchange in Pennsylvania and the Bear Tavern Road/County Route 579 Interchange in New Jersey.
Project Information
| Main Project Construction Start | April 2017 |
| Completed – First span of new bridge opened to traffic | Night of July 9, 2019 |
| Completed – Started All-Electronic Tolling (PA-bound only) | July 14, 2019 |
| Completed – Bridge’s second span opened NJ-bound traffic only | On or about Aug. 16, 2021 |
| Opening of shared-use pedestrian/bicycle facility | Fall 2021 |
| All long-duration project-related travel restrictions end | Late December 2021 |
| Punch-list Work Ends/Estimated Project Completion | Spring 2022 |
The multi-element project is projected to cost $534 million. This figure represents the all-in cost and includes construction, concept plans, final design, environmental documentation and all other previous and projected expenditures.
The project’s main construction phase began in July 2017 and is expected to proceed over a 4-1/2-year period ending in late 2021.
View details of current and upcoming work.
Construction may impact how you travel. See Travel during Construction for more information.
The Commission’s authority to toll has always been rooted in its Compact, first jointly enacted by the two states in 1934 and ratified by Congress in 1935. That authority has been reaffirmed in court decisions and subsequent changes and expansions to the Compact. The Commission’s ability to charge tolls at the Scudder Falls location stems from provisions added to the Commission’s federal Compact between 1984 and 1987. The Supplemental Agreement to the Compact was approved by Pennsylvania in 1984 and New Jersey in 1985. The U.S. Congress approved the changes April 1, 1987. On December 21, 2009, the Commission unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the agency’s Executive Director to “take all steps necessary to toll the Scudder Falls Replacement Bridge.“ A subsequent 2010 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) legal opinion confirmed the Commission’s tolling authority at the Scudder Falls location “so long as the bridge is replaced, and the impacts of tolling are considered under NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act).” (This final stipulation was addressed through the project’s EA Addendum.) In September 2012, the FHWA informed the Commission that a tolling agreement was not required for the replacement bridge under the federal transportation funding law (MAP-21). In December 2009, the Commission voted to establish cashless tolling for the Scudder Falls Replacement Bridge. Tolling at the Scudder Falls Replacement Bridge ensures that its users shoulder the cost burden of the project’s significant transportation-infrastructure and safety improvements.
Learn more about tolling on the new bridge and view toll rates.
Project Elements
New Scudder Falls Bridge
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 Pennsylvania to New Jersey bound, one New Jersey to Pennsylvania bound) for traffic merging onto and off the bridge and shoulders for breakdown/emergency access.
Noise-Abatement Walls
I-95/I-295 Roadway Improvements
Widen the bridge’s Pennsylvania I-295 approach, increasing the roadway to three lanes in each direction. Improve drainage and approach-roadway exit/entry transitions in New Jersey; both project components to be completed in 2021.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Path
Interchange Improvements
All-Electronic Tolling System
New Scudder Falls Toll Bridge & Interchanges Map
Map reflects final configuration of dual bridge, travel lanes, and interchanges following project’s substantial completion in December 2021
Construction Schedule
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
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S1
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| Stage 1 (Completed; Upstream Span Opened July 9, 2019) Upstream span construction, PA approach widening, flanking interchanges reconfigured; All-Electronic Tolling begins |
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S2
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| Stage 2 (July 2019-August 2021) Demolition of old bridge, downstream span construction, phasing in of shared-use path connections |
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S3
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| Stage 3 (Fall 2021) Traffic moves to outside lanes on both completed spans for set up of final travel configurations |
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| Final Stage (2022) All lanes open, punch-list work to close out project takes place |
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The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission will carry out bridge construction while permitting traffic to move across the river at all times, with periodic lane restrictions. To achieve this, project construction is designed to be executed in three major stages.
| STAGE ONE: New Bridge Construction (Upstream Span), Pennsylvania Approach Widening, and Reconfigured Interchanges | |
| Construct First New Span (Completed) |
The current Scudder Falls Bridge remains in service with two travel lanes available respective peak- travel period directions (PA to NJ on weekday mornings and NJ to PA on weekday evenings). Occasional traffic shifts and intermittent off-peak single lane patterns may occur. Bridge closures are not expected to be needed to carry out this 4-1/2 year project.
Major activities in Stage One include:
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| Completion of first new span: Opened to traffic night of July 9, 2019; tolls began July 14, 2019 in NJ-to-PA direction |
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| STAGE TWO: New Bridge Construction (Downstream Span); Demolition and Removal Of Old Bridge; Complete Interchanges | |
| Demolish old bridge; Construct the second new span: Summer 2019 to summer 2021 Second span opened to NJ-bound traffic only in limited two lane configuration August 17, 2021. |
All traffic gets shifted to the new upstream span. Two travel lanes will continue to be maintained in respective peak-travel-period directions (PA to NJ in mornings and NJ to PA in evenings) with occasional traffic shifts and intermittent off-peak single lane patterns. Bridge closures are not expected to be needed to carry out the project.
Major activities in Stage Two include:
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| STAGE THREE: Roadwork, Drainage and Transitions In New Jersey | |
| Complete Remaining Project Elements: 2021-2022 | After both new spans are completed, another major traffic shift will be implemented. All PA-to-NJ traffic will be transferred to the newly completed downstream bridge. Meanwhile, the upstream bridge will be used to carry only NJ-to-PA traffic with the AET gantry collecting tolls on that span. Traffic will be moved to the outside lanes at both spans, allowing contractor to make final transitional improvements on the approach roadways in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
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I-295/NJ Route 29 Interchange Downstream Roundabout
An informational graphic of the I-295/NJ Route 29 Interchange Downstream Roundabout highlighting roadway movements and improved safety features.
Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project – Fact Sheet
The Scudder Falls Bridge spans the Delaware River, connecting Ewing Township, New Jersey and Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania. A comprehensive project is being advanced to replace the current bridge and address other concerns within the immediate I-95 corridor.
