Commuters using the Scudder Falls Bridge face more changes and temporary exit closures on Monday.

Traffic in both directions of Route 295 now is using the new span over the Delaware River with a toll collected only upon entering Pennsylvania. The original Scudder Falls Bridge, which has carried traffic since 1961, now is closed and will be prepared for demolition.

The bridge became a toll bridge on July 14 with the collection of a toll entering Pennsylvania by the bridge's operator, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

Traffic heading into New Jersey is now using two newly built lanes of traffic to the span.  This requires the temporary closure of the exits to and from Taylorsville Road to Route 295 and the Scudder Falls Bridge while the lanes are reconfigured.

This will also mean a major shift in traffic patterns for three weeks, when the work is scheduled to be complete.

  • Drivers who usually enter Route 295 from Taylorsville Road to head into New Jersey will  be detoured to Route 332  (PA exit 8) likely creating delays in Yardley, PA where the road is only one lane in each direction.
  • The exit to Route 29 from Route 295 immediately after crossing the bridge will also be closed during the reconfiguration. The "official" detour is to change directions from Route 295 south at Scotch Road.
  • The ramp from Route 175 (River Road) onto Route 295 will be closed for at least a year.

Once the reconfiguration is complete and the lanes are reopened, work with focus on the demolition of the bridge. A new span to carry traffic into New Jersey will open for traffic in late 2020 or early 2021.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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