119977 | I-95, I-295, PA Turnpike Interchange Stage 3 - Delaware River Bridge Replacement (Bucks County)

The overall I-95, PA Turnpike Interchange project is an interstate completion project that will fully connect I-95, I-295, and I-276 in Pennsylvania and complete remaining planned sections of Turnpike widening and reconstruction in PA. The project also involves the replacement of the bridge over the Delaware River, considering the structure’s age and the need to provide lane continuity between the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority facilities.
The overall I-95, PA Turnpike Interchange program completed a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and received a Record of Decision (ROD) in 2003, and subsequent design and construction activities have been continuously led by the PTC, in cooperation with PennDOT under FHWA oversight. To facilitate continued FHWA oversight of the program, it is necessary to add this stage of the project to the TIP.
Stage 1 of this project was completed, opened to traffic, and now provides a revised routing of I-95 in PA and NJ, thereby making I-95 continuous along the east coast from Florida to Maine. Stage 2 includes construction of the remaining six proposed interchange ramp movements, and completion of the mainline reconstruction and widening from two lanes in each direction to three lanes in each direction in PA, in addition to the associated reconstruction work on I-295. Stage 2 was added to the FY2023 TIP earlier this year in April. Stage 3 will replace the Delaware River Bridge with a new parallel bridge over the Delaware River.
The Delaware River Bridge (DRB) is the final stage of the I-95, PA Turnpike Interchange Program. It will involve the construction of the new Delaware River Bridge, mainline improvements on the bridge approaches, ITS devices in PA and NJ, and tolling systems within the project limits in PA. The PTC and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) have conducted environmental studies over the past year and have initiated the Alternatives Analysis and Preliminary Engineering Design Phase. Interagency coordination and cost sharing are being conducted in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) executed jointly by the PTC and NJTA.
Stage 3 is progressing with an Alternatives Analysis to evaluate various bridge replacement and approach roadway alignments including, but not limited to, maintaining the existing alignment, going partially off-alignment, or using a new adjacent alignment. The corridor involved is generally the same corridor evaluated during the EIS and related ROD. Preliminary Engineering is anticipated to continue into 2024. The latest environmental resources have been inventoried and complete bridge and approach roadway criteria established. At the conclusion of Preliminary Engineering, the Commission and NJTA will determine the project delivery method (i.e., design-bid-build, design-build, etc.) before proceeding to Final Design.
As the Alternatives Analysis for the DRB is proceeding, and continuing with Preliminary Engineering through next year, the PTC expects to develop more refined cost estimates as this work proceeds. The PTC FY 2024 10-year Capital Plan contains $54.2 Million for design, environmental clearance, permitting and related tasks. This total and the yearly amounts will be updated in future PTC capital plans as the design advances, costs are known, and the development of the project schedule is further defined.
All funding in this action for Stage 3 is for the Preliminary Engineering phase of the I-95 (Turnpike) Connector Bridge between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The status and funding for this stage of the program will be revisited when the Draft FY2025 PA TIP is being developed.
When completed, the project will achieve design year capacity requirements on the bridge and address long established project needs. As importantly, it will achieve lane continuity between the six-lane PA Turnpike mainline west of US 1 over the Delaware River to the six-lane New Jersey Turnpike Extension.
Please see MPMS #119730 for Stage 2.

No milestones are available for this project.