PA Route 32/River Road Near Scudder Falls Bridge to Close Weekdays Starting Wednesday, Oct. 3

PA Route 32/River Road in the vicinity of the Scudder Falls Bridge is scheduled to be closed 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Wednesday, October 3.  The detour point south of the bridge will be at E. Afton Ave./N. Delware Ave. (Route 32) in Yardley.  North of the bridge, detour points will be at Mt. Eyre Road (Upper Makefield/Lower Makefield) and Woodside Road (Lower Makefield).  The travel restrictions are needed for the lifting and installation of 10-foot-tall steel girder beams for the new replacement bridge now under construction between recently completed piers on the Pennsylvania side of the river.  The weekday closures are expected to continue until Oct. 12.  A detour route map is below.

PA Route 32/River Road Detour Map

 

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

 

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 Sept. 30 - Oct. 6

The anticipated travel restriction schedule for the week of Sept. 30 follows:

Pennsylvania side

  • PA Route 32/River Road approaching the Scudder Falls Bridge -- Intermittent alternating single-lane travel with traffic controlled by flaggers 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Octo. 1, and Tuesday, Oct. 2.  DAYTIME CLOSURES with posted detours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, to Friday, Oct. 5
  • I-295 EB/WB in vicinity of the Scudder Falls Bridge -- Intermittent single-lane travel patterns possible during off-peak and overnight hours for construction along I-295 on the New Jersey side of the Scudder Falls Bridge Monday, Oct. 1, through Saturday, Oct. 6
  • Taylorsville Rd. north of I-295 and interchange ramps - Intermittent single-lane patterns with possible flagger-controlled travel 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, to Friday, Oct. 5
  • Taylorsville Rd. south of I-295 - Intermittent single-lane patterns with possible flagger-controlled travel 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, to Friday, Oct. 5
  • 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, Oct. 1, to Friday, Oct. 5

New Jersey

  • I-295 NB approaching the Scudder Falls Bridge (PA-bound) - Intermittent single-lane travel patterns 7 p.m. to 2 p.m. (next day) Monday, Oct. 1, through Thursday, Oct. 4; ALSO single-lane pattern 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, to 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, AND 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, to 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 7
  • I-295 EB/SB immediately after crossing Scudder Falls Bridge into NJ - Intermittent single-lane travel patterns 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (next day) Monday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 5; ALSO 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, to 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, AND 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, to 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 7
  • Route 29 NB bypass roadway at the I-295 interchange - Overnight closures 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (next morning) Wednesday, Oct. 3, through Friday, Oct. 5; follow POSTED DETOUR via nearby NJ Route 175/River Road stating at West Upper Ferry Rd. or use alternative Route 29 NB ramps through the interchange
  • Rte. 175/River Road - Intermittent alternating single-lane travel may be implemented approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, to Friday, Oct. 5

Weekends: Expect overnight/off-peak single-lane travel patterns to be in effect along both directions of I-295 approaching the Scudder Falls Bridge from Pennsylvania and New Jersey during the weekends of Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 6-7.  (Specific potential restricted travel periods above.)

NJ Delaware & Raritan (D&R) Canal Towpath: Closures scheduled for weekday daytime hours -- approximately 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- extended until Friday, Oct. 5 (A map of the affected area can be viewed here) 

Construction Update - Week of Sept. 30

Major project work activities for the week of Sept. 30 include:

  • PA-I-295 - Roadway excavation, drainage work, subbase installation, and paving activities; highway lighting work; highway lighting at various locations; mobilize for bridge painting at the Quarry Road overpass.
  • Taylorsville Rd. interchange area (Exit 10, Old Exit 51), Woodside Road, and bridge over Delaware Canal - Roadway construction/drainage/subbase installation/curbing/paving at the intersection of Woodside Road, Taylorsville Road, and interchange area ramps.
  • PA bridge approach - Continue machnically stabilized earth (MSE) wall installation and support of excavation for widening the I-295 bridge across the Delaware Canal; install support of excavation and excavate for widening the I-295 bridge across Taylorsville Road.
  • 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; construct BM/AET building walls; complete backwall for the new upstream bridge's PA abutment.
  • Pennsylvania side of replacement bridge's upstream span (vicinity of River Rd./Route 32 and the river) – Remove remaining trestle portions at the first and second in-water piers (Piers 2 and 3); continue installation of bearings and erection of additional structural steel between completed piers.
  • New Jersey side of replacement bridge's upstream span - Secure deck grades within span 6, and install shielding and deck forms within span 7.
  • I-295/Rte. 29 interchange (Exit 76, Old Exit 1) area – Rroadway construction/drainage/sub-base/paving within various interchange ramps and downstream roundabout; construct various sign structure foundations; construct barrier/moment slabs for wall at the approach to new elevated I-295 exit ramp; perform power washing and sealing of the MSE wall abutments for the interchange's new elevated ramps.
  • NJ I-295 approach - Continue median barrier removal at the main I-295 approach bridge across Route 175 and the Delaware & Raritan CanalInstall shielding beneath main approach bridge over Route 29 and 175 and D&R Canal; begin retaining wall foundation; install shielding below main approach bridge; construct various sign-structure foundations; install highway lighting at various locations, install noise-attenuation walls north of Bear Tavern Road/Route 579, in the vicinity of a new off-ramp from I-295 NB nearing the bridge, and at the new upstream bridge.