LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA. – A Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission contractor is initiating preparations for a small improvement project along a section of PA Route 32/River Road in the vicinity of the Scudder Falls (I-295) Toll Bridge.
Weather permitting, the work should be completed before the end of 2023. The project is expected to yield the following improvements:
- Demolition, removal, and cleanup of a former residence at the corner of River Road and Woodside Road. The removal of the house will enable the Commission to increase the buffer area that was established as part of the 2017-2022 toll bridge construction project.
- Improving River Road/Woodside Road intersection. A portion of the residential property will be regraded to remove a berm and overgrown vegetation that block driver sightlines approaching the intersection. A utility pole at the corner also is being removed. A new pole has been set 10 feet north to reduce the severity of the intersection’s turn radius.
- Guide rail installations along River Road/Route 32. As part of the project, the contractor will install new sections of guide rail along portions of River Road/Route 32. A key section will be on the river side of the River Road/Woodside Road intersection, mitigating the possibility of Woodside Road motorists speeding through the intersection and into the river.
- A variety of trees and bushes will be planted. Species include red maple, black gum, viburnum, winterberry, and bayberry. A treated split-rail fence also will be installed. Various areas will be seeded with rye grass and wildflowers.
The contractor – AP Construction of Blackwood, N.J. — began site preparations today, placing temporary concrete barriers along the southbound lane of River Road/Route 32 beneath the bridge. Alternating single-lane travel restrictions controlled by flaggers were utilized for this work.
Long-term lane closures and detours are not expected to be needed for the duration of this project.
