Overnight closures of NJ 29 southbound this week for Scudder Falls Bridge work

Progress on the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project will enter a new phase next week when work crews will begin removing bird-prevention netting that was installed beneath the existing 59-year-old bridge three years ago, according to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

The work will require overnight closures of NJ Route 29 southbound beneath the bridge from 10 p.m. to 6 p.m. (next day) on five successive nights from Monday, May 6, to Friday, May 10. Affected Route 29 SB motorists are advised to use nearby NJ Route 175/Upper River Road as a travel alternative when Route 29 SB is closed.

Work crews will first clear debris that has collected in the nets before proceeding to actual removal of the nets. The netting can be removed now because peregrine falcons – a potential protected nesting species – have already selected nesting sites in surrounding areas and laid eggs.

The removal of the bird netting is a preparatory step toward the eventual demolition of the current “functionally obsolete” Scudder Falls Bridge.  Demolition is on track to begin after the first span of the new Scudder Falls Toll Bridge opens to traffic immediately upstream sometime this July. Tolls will be collected only in the Pennsylvania-bound direction on the new bridge. An all-electronic tolling (AET) system – no cash collections and no toll booths – will be used to assess tolls on motorists. The base automobile toll rates will be $1.25 for E-ZPass and $2.60 for TOLL BY PLATE (no-E-ZPass).

The full schedule of Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project travel restrictions for the week starting May 6 is as follows:

New Jersey side

• Route 29 SB – OVERNIGHT closures in the area of Scudder Falls Bridge and the I-295 interchange (Exit 76). Motorists should use nearby Route 175/Upper River Road and West Upper Ferry Road as the detour route during closure periods.
• Route 29 NB bypass roadway– Intermittent short-duration, flagger-controlled stoppages 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday, May 6, to Friday, May 10.
• I-295 NB/WB (old I-95 SB) approaching the Scudder Falls Bridge Pennsylvania-bound– Off-peak single-lane travel patterns possible 7 p.m. to 2 p.m. (next day) Monday, May 6, through Friday, May 10.
• I-295 EB/SB (old I-95 NB) crossing the Scudder Falls Bridge into New Jersey – Intermittent off-peak single-lane travel patterns 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday, May 6, through Friday, May 10.
• I-295/Route 29 Interchange (Exit 76) – The following closures and detours are 24/7 until late June:
  • I-295 EB/SB Exit Ramp to Route 29 NB (first exit in NJ after crossing Scudder Falls Bridge from Pennsylvania) – Continue along I-295 SB to Exit 73A (Scotch Road North), use the exit’s loop ramps to make a U-turn onto I-295 NB for return to the Route 29 interchange (Exit 76) and the ramp to Route 29 NB. (See Orange Map)
  • Route 29 SB & NB entry ramps to I-295 NB/WB and PA-bound travel on the Scudder Falls Bridge –Proceed into the downstream roundabout and use the ramp for I-295 SB, follow to Exit 73A (Scotch Road North), use the exit’s loop ramps to make a U-turn onto I-295 NB and travel across the bridge to I-295 WB in Pennsylvania. – (See Blue Map)
  • I-295 NB exit ramp to Route 29 SB (at last exit in NJ) –Proceed across the Scudder Falls Bridge for a U-turn at the Taylorsville Road interchange (Exit 10) in PA, take I-295 SB across the bridge for connection with Route 29 SB via the first NJ exit ramp and the downstream roundabout. (See Green Map)
• Route 175/Upper River Road – Intermittent alternating single-lane travel patterns 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, May 3, to Friday, May 10.

Pennsylvania side

• I-295 EB & WB west of the Scudder Falls Bridge –Two lanes in each direction within same shifted travel pattern established last summer.
• Taylorsville Road north of I-295–Intermittent single-lane patterns with possible flagger-controlled travel 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, May 6, to Friday, May 10
• Taylorsville Road south of I-295 –Intermittent single-lane patterns with possible flagger-controlled travel 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, May 6, to Friday, May 10.
• Woodside Road – Intermittent right or left lane closures with passage maintained in each direction and/or flagging-controlled travel 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, May 6, to Friday, May 10.
• PA Route 32/River Road – Intermittent alternating traffic controlled by flaggers 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, May 6, to Friday, May 10.

Weekends: Aside from carryover of Friday overnight travel restrictions into Saturdays, no travel restrictions are scheduled for the weekends of May 4-5 and 11-12.

Canal Towpaths near the Scudder Falls Bridge:

NJ side – Intermittent daytime and nighttime closures of the Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath segment in New Jersey to continue through May.

PA side –Occasional weekday closures of the Delaware Canal towpath segment in Pennsylvania until June – but open on weekends.

The scheduled travel restrictions are subject to change due to weather, emergency, traffic, and equipment/material considerations, says the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. They urge motorists to allow extra time to reach their destinations, and to reduce speeds and exercise caution when traveling through work areas.