Scudder Falls Bridge
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| Scudder Falls Bridge | |
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| Official name | Scudder Falls Toll Supported Bridge |
| Carries | 4 lanes of I-95 (PA/NJ) |
| Crosses | Delaware River |
| Locale | Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania and Ewing Township, New Jersey |
| Maintained by | Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission |
| Design | Plate girder bridge |
| Longest span | 180 feet (55 m) |
| Total length | 1,740 feet (530 m) |
| Width | 60 feet (18 m) |
| AADT | 52,200[1] |
| Opening date | 1961 |
| Toll | None |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
The Scudder Falls Bridge is a girder bridge that carries Interstate 95 over the Delaware River, connecting Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and Ewing Township in Mercer County, New Jersey. The bridge, which was constructed from 1958 to 1959, is maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. It is the southernmost freeway-standard bridge over the Delaware River that requires no tolls for vehicular traffic in either direction.
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[edit] Origin of Name
The Scudder Falls Bridge derives its name from Richard Betts Scudder, who according to the Long Island Genealogy Surname Database, died in 1754 at "Scudders Falls, Hunterdon County" (Mercer County was part of Hunterdon County until 1838). One of Richard Scudder's ancestors from Kent, England was named Henry Skudder. The k in the surname apparently became a c at some point in time, helping to give the falls and modern-day bridge its name. The "falls" (really just an area of rapids) are located about 1/2 mile north of the bridge, and the entrance to the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park just north of the bridge is signed as the "Scudders Falls" unit. The extra s at the end of "Scudders" was dropped to make pronunciation of the bridge's name easier. [2]
[edit] History
Following the destruction of the Yardley-Wilburtha Bridge in the August flood of 1955, plans were made to build a new bridge about 1.3 miles north of the old site. The Delaware River Joint Toll Commission was responsible for the construction of the bridge, while New Jersey and Pennsylvania built the approaches to each side. Because the bridge was not originally part of the Interstate Highway System, the cost of construction was not fully covered by the Federal government; it covered half the cost of the new span, while New Jersey and Pennsylvania paid the remainder of the total bill.[3]
In April of 1958, the location of the future Scudder Falls Bridge was approved with little opposition. Construction, overseen by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, began in May of the same year and was completed in 1959. The new bridge, which had cost $8.4 million, opened to traffic on June 22, 1961.[3]
[edit] Structure
Scudder Falls Bridge was built using two-span continuous steel-plate girders. Its two end spans are each 150 feet long, while each of the eight middle spans measure 180 feet. The bridge's total length is 1,740 feet.[4]
[edit] Improvement Project
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 four 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). Closely spaced interchanges on both ends of the bridge would require the addition of acceleration and decelaration lanes, of which there are currently none. These lanes would add an additional 24 feet of width to parts of the bridge near each shore.
According to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission's 2002 Southerly Crossings Corridor Study, Scudders Fall Bridge carries roughly 55,000 vehicles per day (traffic counts have decreased slightly since then), well beyond the design load of 40,000 vehicles per day. By 2030, traffic volumes are expected to increase by 35%, the equivalent of 19,000 additional vehicles.[5] This amount of traffic would require two to perhaps four additional travel lanes (24 to perhaps 48 additional feet of roadway width).
Also mentioned by the 2002 study is that Scudder Falls Bridge has been given a Level of Service (LOS) grade of "F" during peak rush hours and afternoons. This grade denotes 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.
Beginning in 2009, a $195-million dollar reconstruction project will begin. The bridge will be widened to between 130 and 140 feet, becoming nine lanes in the process.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Traffic Counts. Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (2006). Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
- ^ Richman, Steven M. (2003). The Bridges of New Jersey, New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Page 150. ISBN 0-8135-3510-7.
- ^ a b Scudder Falls Bridge. Eastern Roads. Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
- ^ Richman, p. 149.
- ^ Scudder Falls Toll Supported Bridge. Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (2005). Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
- ^ Scudders Fall bridge to be replaced. Constructioneer (July, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
[edit] External links
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