Scudder Falls Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Carries | 4 lanes of I-95 |
|---|---|
| Crosses | Delaware River |
| Locale | Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania and Ewing Township, New Jersey |
| Maintained by | Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission |
| AADT | 59,500 |
| Opening date | 1961 |
The Scudder Falls Bridge is a bridge on Interstate 95 over the Delaware River, connecting Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania and Ewing Township, New Jersey. It carries 59,500 vehicles per day (AADT). The bridge was constructed and is currently maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC).
Scudder Falls is the southernmost freeway-standard bridge on the Delaware River where no tolls are required for vehicular traffic in either direction; the furthest south free ("toll-supported") bridge is the Lower Trenton Bridge (commonly called the Trenton Makes Bridge).
The bridge is currently being studied for expansion, due to the inadequacies of the current configuration. At the present time, the bridge consists of a roadway 48 feet wide, split into 4 twelve-foot lanes. Opposing traffic is separated by a jersey barrier. Current design standards call for, at minimum, the addition of an inside shoulder 3 feet wide (adding 6 feet to its current width) and an outside shoulder 12 feet wide (adding 24 feet to its current width). Meanwhile, closely spaced interchanges on both ends of the bridge require the addition of acceleration and decelaration lanes (currently there are none), which would add an additional 24 feet of width to parts of the bridge near each shore. Meanwhile, the bridge's four lanes are already carrying 59,500 vehicles per day (according to DRJTBC estimates), well beyond the design load of 40,000 vehicles per day; the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) estimates that the traffic volume will increase to about 76,500 vehicles per day by 2030. This amount of traffic would require two to perhaps four additional travel lanes (24 to perhaps 48 additional feet of roadway width). The bridge is currently given a Level of Service (LOS) grade of "F," which symbolizes the worst service conditions and the highest congestion rate. In short, the current structure, while structurally sufficient, is functionally obsolete, and requires major expansion or replacement.
[edit] External links
- DRJTBC: Scudder Falls Toll Supported Bridge
- Scudder Falls Bridge Improvement Project
- Steve Anderson Scudder Falls Bridge
| Bridges of the Delaware River | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Upstream Washington Crossing Bridge PA 532 /  |
Scudder Falls Bridge Current  Future  |
Downstream Yardley-Wilburtha Bridge demolished |
|
