A portion of the I-295/Route 29 Interchange near the Scudder Falls Bridge will be closed and detoured for 18 weeks beginning today.
The closure is part of the Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement project, and the Exit 76 detour will likely last until the summer, according to a statement from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Beginning Monday, Feb. 18, the Delaware River Joint Bridge Toll Commission, which owns the bridge and is managing the replacement project, will be closing and detouring the following Exit 76 ramps:
I-295 eastbound/southbound exit ramp to Route 29 northbound, the first exit in New Jersey driving in from Pennsylvania. (See detour route here.)I-295 northbound exit ramp to Route 29 southbound, the last exit in New Jersey. (See detour route here.)Route 29 southbound and northbound entry ramps to I-295 northbound/westbound, going into Pennsylvania. (See detour route here.)
The Scudder Falls Bridge, I-295 and Route 29 will all remain open to through traffic, as the ramp closure will only impact drivers who use the Exit 76 interchanges. However, officials did warn that other areas — specifically the interchanges at Taylorsville Road in Pennsylvania and Scotch Road in New Jersey — may see an increase in traffic during rush hour due to the detours.
Officials said the closure is needed to allow for construction of a roundabout on the upstream side of the I-295/Route 29 interchange.
Construction on the Scudder Falls Bridge began in 2017 and will take at least four years to complete. The project will replace the current Scudder Falls Bridge, which carries 59,000 vehicles each day. The current bridge was deemed “functionally obsolete” due to capacity limitations, poor roadway geometry and safety concerns.
For more information about the replacement project, visit scudderfallsbridge.com.
Main river deck construction along the Scudder Falls Bridge (Photo courtesy scudderfallsbridge.com),
