SCUDDER FALLS – The next major facet of project construction prior to the opening of the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge’s nearly completed downstream span will involve uninterrupted closures of four I-295 entry/exit ramps – three in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey – for five weeks, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced today.
Weather permitting, four interchange ramps that feed off of or onto I-295 in the New Jersey-bound direction will shut down for a five-week period beginning in the early morning hours on Monday, July 12. Posted detours will be put into effect to steer affected motorists onto alternative routes for entering or exiting I-295 EB in Pennsylvania or accessing Route 29 on the bridge’s New Jersey side.
At the I-295/Taylorsville Road interchange (New Hope-Yardley, Exit 10) in Pennsylvania, three ramps will close:
- The I-295 EB off-ramp to Taylorsville Road.
- The Taylorsville Road southbound entry ramp to I-295 EB/SB immediately before the old Scudder Falls Bridge.
- And the Taylorsville Road northbound entry ramp to I-295 EB/SB immediately before the old Scudder Falls Bridge.
Affected motorists from these ramp closures will be detoured to the Yardley-Newtown/Route 332 interchange (Exit 8) either along I-295 WB from the Taylorsville Road interchange or via Taylorsville Road and Route 332/West Afton Avenue/Yardley-Newtown Road.
At the I-295/Route 29 interchange (Exit 76) in New Jersey, one ramp will close:
- The off-ramp to Route 29 immediately after crossing the Scudder Falls (I-295) Bridge from Pennsylvania into New Jersey.
Affected motorists from this ramp closure will be directed to the Scotch Road interchange (Exit ramp 73-A) where they can use the loop ramps to cross over I-295 and make a U-turn onto I-295 NB so they can access the Route 29 exit ramp immediately before the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge (last exit in New Jersey).
The four ramp closures and detours will enable construction crews to reconstruct the ramps prior to being put into a final configuration with a new permanent alignment of I-295 EB in Pennsylvania and I-295 SB in New Jersey. When completed, the newly aligned ramps will feed traffic to and from the second Scudder Falls Bridge span that is rapidly nearing completion on the downstream side of the first span that opened to traffic in July 2019.
Work during the five-week closure will include – but not be limited to – excavation, installation of drainage facilities and guide rails, curbing, paving and striping.
Commuters who access I-295 EB in Bucks County, PA to travel across the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge to job locations in neighboring Mercer County, NJ are advised to plan ahead and allow extra time to reach their destinations while the ramp closures are in effect.
Pennsylvania-bound I-295 motorists should not be appreciably impacted by the new travel changes; all interchange ramps along that direction of I-295 remain open.
The work on the various interchange ramps is weather sensitive and the schedule could be changed if necessary in the weeks ahead.
Current Schedule for Project Completion
If all goes according to current plans, the four reconstructed ramps would reopen to traffic and tie into a new alignment of I-295 New Jersey-bound travel lanes starting August 16. Also at this time, the Scudder Falls Bridge downstream span would open to traffic along with new approach bridges over the Delaware Canal and Taylorsville Road in Pennsylvania and a two-span approach bridge over the Route 29 northbound bypass roadway, the Delaware & Raritan Canal, and NJ Route 175/River Road in New Jersey.
The Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project would then shift into its third – and final – construction stage. This Stage 3 work is expected to continue until mid-October, with I-295 traffic shifted to the outside lanes in the Pennsylvania-bound direction on the current bridge and in the New Jersey-bound direction on the second bridge that is slated to open August 16. This two-month period will largely entail final roadway construction within the median between the New Jersey-bound and Pennsylvania-bound roadways. The final two months of Stage 3 work – until mid-December – would then entail final pavement surfacing and lane striping. Substantial completion of the project is currently scheduled for mid-to-late December. Punch-list work would then take place until final completion in May 2022.
When completed, the bridge’s upstream span will carry only Pennsylvania-bound I-295 traffic, with three through lanes and one auxiliary lane to handle accelerating and decelerating traffic between interchanges at Route 29 in New Jersey and Taylorsville Road in Pennsylvania. The downstream span will carry only New Jersey-bound I-295 traffic, which three through lanes and two auxiliary lane to handle accelerating and decelerating traffic between Taylorsville Road in Pennsylvania and the first two interchanges in New Jersey (Route 29/Exit 76 and Bear Tavern Road/Exit 75).
The following detours are scheduled to be implemented prior to the peak morning commuting period on Monday, July 12:
I-295 EB/Taylorsville Road Interchange Ramp Closures Detour Map
This map may be accessed on the project website at:
Affected motorists from these ramp closures will be detoured to the Yardley-Newtown/Route 332 interchange (Exit 8) either along I-295 WB from the Taylorsville Road interchange or via Taylorsville Road and Route 332/West Afton Avenue/Yardley-Newtown Road
These three detours are scheduled to begin Monday, July 12, and continue until Monday, August 16. Weather can change this schedule.
I-295 SB Exit Ramp to NJ Route 29 Detour
This map may be accessed on the project website at:
https://www.scudderfallsbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/I-295_Route_29_ramp_detour_2021-scaled.jpg
Affected motorists from this ramp closure will be directed to the Scotch Road interchange (Exit ramp 73-A) where they can use the loop ramps to cross over I-295 and make a U-turn onto I-295 NB so they can access the Route 29 exit ramp immediately before the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge (last exit in New Jersey).
This detour is scheduled to begin Monday, July 12, and continue until Monday, August 16. Weather can change this schedule.
