The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has approved a $475 million bond issuance for a planned replacement of the 57-year old Scudder Falls Bridge that links New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The commission approved a $396 million construction contract award Monday to Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Trumbull Corp. along with the corresponding bonding for the project, which will replace the current four-lane bridge on Interstate 95 with a dual-span structure that features six lanes. The bonds will be backed by toll collections on the replacement bridge and from the commission's capital fund. The current bridge has no tolls and the new span will feature electronic tolling in the southbound direction.
"With [Monday's] approval of a construction contract and bond financing, we are on the threshold of breaking ground to replace the existing 'functionally obsolete' bridge and its congestion-prone approach roadways and interchanges," Joseph Resta, the commission's executive director said in a statement. "When completed, this comprehensive project should greatly improve the quality of life for commuters and other drivers by reducing travel times and improving safety."
Commission officials said the current bridge, which links Ewing Township, N.J. to Lower Makefield Township, Pa. is "safe", but needs to be replaced since it is classified on the National Bridge Inventory list as "functionally obsolete" due to concerns with capacity and safety deficiencies. The existing bridge also lacks shoulders, causing lane closures when vehicles are stranded or during routine maintenance delays.
The project is expected to begin this spring with an estimated completion period of around four and a half years. The bridge will be built in three major stages with the current Scudder Falls Bridge remaining in service until the first of the new dual replacement spans is completed and opened to traffic sometime in 2019.
The bridge commission, which was formed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey in 1934, operates seven toll bridges and 13 toll-supported bridges. The agency's funding for operations, maintenance and upkeep of the bridges is derived from toll revenues. It was rated A1 by Moody's Investors Service and A by S&P Global Ratings in February 2015 prior to issuing $86.5 million in revenue refunding bonds.
