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LOCAL
Bucks County Courier Times
The gracefully arched Delaware River Bridge may be a selfie backdrop in Lower Bucks County.
But the aging span may soon be removed and replaced with a modern bridge linking Bucks County, Pennsylvania and Burlington County, New Jersey.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority that own and operate the bridge are to seek public opinion next week about what to do.
Should a second, parallel span be built, and the original rehabbed and modernized? Or should the old bridge be demolished in favor of a new span?
It's not a new idea.
The twin-spans concept, one eastbound, the other westbound, was nearly set to go in 2003 before officials scrapped the plan. But a crack in a critical I-beam in 2017, and six weeks of closure, caused both Pennsylvania and New Jersey officials to reconsider rehabbing the old bridge.
So both states are starting over, officials said at an online meeting March 12, attended virtually by 131 people, most from Bristol Township, where the Pennsylvania side of the bridge is located.
The online meeting was more of a briefing session for those unfamiliar with the bridge replacement project, which is "Stage 3" of the I-95/Turnpike link projects that have been underway for years.
The bridge carries traffic from the Pennsylvania Turnpike eastbound to the New Jersey Turnpike, and completes the last few miles of I-95 on the eastern seaboard.
Why do PA and NJ want to replace the Delaware River - Turnpike Toll Bridge?
It's old, for one.
It was built between January 1955 and May 1956, and its two lanes in each direction aren't expected to keep pace with projected increases of traffic over the next few decades. The growth of warehouse distribution centers in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including in Burlington and Mercer counties, is increasing traffic over the span, which handles nearly 70,000 vehicles per day.
But there are also concerns over the bridge's remaining lifespan.
It has undergone major rehabs since the 1990s, and it showed its age in 2017 when a fracture was found on bridge approach truss, causing the span to drop about an inch. The bridge was closed for weeks, creating a traffic nightmare commuters scrambling for alternative routes.
If more closures are needed for future fixes, it defeats the bridge's original design to be a "high speed, low-interruption" span, officials said.
What neighborhoods will be affected in Bristol Township and Burlington County if a new bridge is built?
Authorities on both sides of the river said that won't be known until a final design plan is adopted, possibly as early as 2027.
In the meantime, survey crews are to be out within 2 miles of the bridge's footprint in Lower Bucks County and in Florence in Burlington County compiling notes on what places a new bridge could disrupt.
As the Pennsylvania Turnpike stated: "Potential property impacts will be identified when the project advances to the point of having a preferred alignment which occurs at the end of the Preliminary Engineering and SEIS phases."
The only neighborhood mentioned during the meeting March 12 was Bloomsdale/Fleetwing in Bristol Township, but only as it related to a question about "socioeconomic" and "historic" impacts of the bridge project.
Whose neighborhood will be impacted by the bridge is probably the most frequently asked question among locals, but you may not expect any direct answers from government officials for a few years.
When will a decision on the turnpike bridge will be made?
Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey officials said that, with oversight from the Federal Highway Administration, a myriad of geological, environmental and other surveys are required before there's a decision on what happens to the old bridge.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said: "To select an alternative (bridge plan), Preliminary Engineering and environmental clearance must be completed and public input must be considered. The target date for that decision is 2027."
How can the public give its opinion on the bridge project?
Through public meetings, stakeholder meetings, public surveys, project updates and public hearings.
The meetings and hearings are to be held on both sides of the river. Those who are interested in more information may join the email list. They may also contact project manager John Boyer's office through the Pennsylvania Turnpike website.
The next public in-person meeting is set for 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 19 at the Ben Franklin Middle School, located at 6401 Mill Creek Road, Levittown, PA 19057.
In Jersey, a public in-person meeting is to be held Thursday, March 20 at the Florence Township Municipal Building, located at 711 Broad St., Florence, NJ 08518. It is also to be held from 5-8 p.m.
Public comment on the project is to end April 12.
If a new span is built, will it accommodate bicycles and pedestrians?
No. Since the bridge is part of both states' turnpike systems, and the Federal Highway Administration's I-95, it's illegal for either bicyclists or pedestrians to travel any of those highways.
JD Mullane can be reached at [email protected].