Scudder Falls Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Scudder Falls Bridge is a girder
bridge that carries Interstate 95
over the Delaware River
, connecting Lower Makefield Township
in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
with Ewing Township
in Mercer County, New Jersey
. This bridge, which was constructed from 1958 to 1959, is maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
, but currently is toll-free. This bridge is the southernmost freeway-standard bridge over the Delaware River that requires no tolls for vehicular traffic in either direction. The current bridge structure, while structurally sufficient, is functionally obsolete, and it requires major expansion or replacement.
In October 2009, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission issued a press release marking the bridge's 50th anniversary.
" (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.
in the August flood of 1955, plans were made to build a new bridge about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) 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 90% covered by the Federal government. Instead, they covered 50% of the cost of the new span, while New Jersey and Pennsylvania paid the remaining 50% of the total bill, as with an ordinary U.S. Highway route.
In April 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.
. Current design standards call for, at minimum, the addition of an inside shoulder 3 foot (0.9144 m) wide (adding 6 feet (1.8 m) to its current width) and an outside shoulder 12 feet (3.7 m) wide (adding 24 feet (7.3 m) to its current width). The closely spaced interchanges on both ends of the bridge require the addition of acceleration and decelaration lanes (the Commission refers to them as "auxiliary lanes"), of which there are currently none.
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 increased 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. This amount of traffic would require two to perhaps four additional travel lanes (24 to perhaps 48 additional feet of roadway width). According to the project's Environmental Assessment, the new bridge will have two additional through-travel lanes, resulting in a total of six through lanes (three in each direction).
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. At times other than brief rush hour delays, traffic traveling the bridge is relatively light.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2011 and take three to four years to complete. The bridge will be widened to between 130 and 140 feet (42.7 m).
The bridge would consist of six through-travel lanes and three auxilarly lanes (two in the northbound direction and one in the southbound direction) to handle traffic accelerating onto the bridge or decelerating off of the bridge at the two closely spaced adjoining interchanges. The envisioned bridge also would have shoulders to handle vehicle breakdowns and emergencies, with the two inside shoulders being wide enough to handle proposed regional bus-rapid transit service. The Commission also has expressed interest in adding a bicycle/pedestrian facility to the new bridge, but has a stated that a decision on this will not be made until the final design phase.
To help finance this multi-faceted improvement project, the Commission voted in late December 2009 to establish tolling at the crossing.
Commission officials have stated that tolls would be collected in the southbound direction with an all-electronic tolling, or "cashless tolling" gantry consisting of E-ZPass
transponder readers and high-resolution cameras (no cash toll booths) constructed on the bridge. (All of the toll bridges along the Delaware River collect tolls in either the southbound or westbound directions—going from New Jersey to Pennsylvania.)
Commission officials have not yet established a date for when these tolls would take effect.
The Delaware River Joint Toll Commission has stated that the introduction of cashless tolling at the bridge is necessary to help finance its capital program, of which the multi-faceted Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project would be its largest single construction initiative in its 75-year history. The Commission is funded solely by tolls collected at its seven current toll bridges; it receives no gasoline tax revenues or state or federal support. Commission executives have stated that it would be unfair to have the project financed solely by motorists using its other toll bridges, individuals who have been subsidizing the Scudder Falls facility already for more than two decades.
Girder
A girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
bridge that carries Interstate 95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
over the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
, connecting Lower Makefield Township
Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania
Lower Makefield Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA and usually referred to as "Yardley" due to the prominence of Yardley Borough in that area...
in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
with Ewing Township
Ewing Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 35,790 people, 13,171 households, and 7,980 families residing in the township. There were 13,926 housing units. The racial makeup of the township was 63.1% White, 27.6% African American, 0.3% Native American, 4.3% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.2%...
in Mercer County, New Jersey
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
. This bridge, which was constructed from 1958 to 1959, is maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission is a bistate, public agency charged with providing safe, dependable and efficient river crossings between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The DRJTBC was established under legislation enacted in the two states in 1934. The federal Compact for the...
, but currently is toll-free. This bridge is the southernmost freeway-standard bridge over the Delaware River that requires no tolls for vehicular traffic in either direction. The current bridge structure, while structurally sufficient, is functionally obsolete, and it requires major expansion or replacement.
In October 2009, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission issued a press release marking the bridge's 50th anniversary.
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 CountyHunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
" (Mercer County
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
was part of Hunterdon County until 1838). One of Richard Scudder's ancestors from Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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
Delaware and Raritan Canal
The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...
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.
History
Following the destruction of the Yardley-Wilburtha BridgeYardley-Wilburtha Bridge
The Yardley–Wilburtha Bridge was a bridge spanning the Delaware River that was destroyed in 1961.-History:The first structure located at the site of the now demolished Yardley–Wilburtha Bridge was built in 1835 by the Yardleyville-Delaware Bridge Company...
in the August flood of 1955, plans were made to build a new bridge about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) 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
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
, the cost of construction was not 90% covered by the Federal government. Instead, they covered 50% of the cost of the new span, while New Jersey and Pennsylvania paid the remaining 50% of the total bill, as with an ordinary U.S. Highway route.
In April 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.
Structure
Scudder Falls Bridge was built using two-span continuous steel-plate girders. Its two end spans are each 150 feet (45.7 m) long, while each of the eight middle spans measure 180 feet (54.9 m). The bridge's total length is 1740 feet (530.4 m).Improvement project
Since 2003, the Bridge Commission has been working on plans to replace the bridge, improve the safety and traffic flow of its two immediately adjoining interchanges (Taylorsville Road in Pennsylvania and Route 29 in New Jersey), and widen the Pennsylvania stretch of I-95 leading to and from the bridge (from two lanes to three lanes). The project is necessary because the current configurations of the bridge, interchanges and roadways suffer from numerous inadequacies. At the present time, the bridge consists of a roadway 48 feet (14.6 m) wide, split into four twelve-foot lanes. Opposing traffic is separated by a Jersey barrierJersey barrier
A Jersey barrier or Jersey wall is a modular concrete barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to both minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing crossover in the case of head-on accidents....
. Current design standards call for, at minimum, the addition of an inside shoulder 3 foot (0.9144 m) wide (adding 6 feet (1.8 m) to its current width) and an outside shoulder 12 feet (3.7 m) wide (adding 24 feet (7.3 m) to its current width). The closely spaced interchanges on both ends of the bridge require the addition of acceleration and decelaration lanes (the Commission refers to them as "auxiliary lanes"), of which there are currently none.
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 increased 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. This amount of traffic would require two to perhaps four additional travel lanes (24 to perhaps 48 additional feet of roadway width). According to the project's Environmental Assessment, the new bridge will have two additional through-travel lanes, resulting in a total of six through lanes (three in each direction).
Also mentioned by the 2002 study is that Scudder Falls Bridge has been given a Level of Service
Level of service
Level of service is a measure used by traffic engineers to determine the effectiveness of elements of transportation infrastructure. LOS is most commonly used to analyze highways by categorizing traffic flow with corresponding safe driving conditions...
(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. At times other than brief rush hour delays, traffic traveling the bridge is relatively light.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2011 and take three to four years to complete. The bridge will be widened to between 130 and 140 feet (42.7 m).
The bridge would consist of six through-travel lanes and three auxilarly lanes (two in the northbound direction and one in the southbound direction) to handle traffic accelerating onto the bridge or decelerating off of the bridge at the two closely spaced adjoining interchanges. The envisioned bridge also would have shoulders to handle vehicle breakdowns and emergencies, with the two inside shoulders being wide enough to handle proposed regional bus-rapid transit service. The Commission also has expressed interest in adding a bicycle/pedestrian facility to the new bridge, but has a stated that a decision on this will not be made until the final design phase.
To help finance this multi-faceted improvement project, the Commission voted in late December 2009 to establish tolling at the crossing.
Commission officials have stated that tolls would be collected in the southbound direction with an all-electronic tolling, or "cashless tolling" gantry consisting of E-ZPass
E-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
transponder readers and high-resolution cameras (no cash toll booths) constructed on the bridge. (All of the toll bridges along the Delaware River collect tolls in either the southbound or westbound directions—going from New Jersey to Pennsylvania.)
Commission officials have not yet established a date for when these tolls would take effect.
The Delaware River Joint Toll Commission has stated that the introduction of cashless tolling at the bridge is necessary to help finance its capital program, of which the multi-faceted Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project would be its largest single construction initiative in its 75-year history. The Commission is funded solely by tolls collected at its seven current toll bridges; it receives no gasoline tax revenues or state or federal support. Commission executives have stated that it would be unfair to have the project financed solely by motorists using its other toll bridges, individuals who have been subsidizing the Scudder Falls facility already for more than two decades.