The aging Pennsylvania Turnpike Delaware River Bridge linking Bucks County with Burlington County, New Jersey, may soon be replaced with a modern bridge, writes JD Mullane for the Bucks County Courier Times.
The Bristol bridge spanning the Delaware River is owned and operated by Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The two agencies held an in-person meeting earlier this week to gather public input on the next steps.
Options include building a second, parallel span while modernizing the original, or demolishing the old bridge and replacing it with a new span.
The twin-spans concept is not a new idea. The project was almost implemented in 2003, before being scrapped. However, a crack in a critical I-beam that closed the bridge for six weeks in 2017 caused officials to reconsider. Now, both states are starting over.
Authorities stated they do not know yet what neighborhoods will be affected in Bristol Township and Burlington County until a final design plan is adopted, probably in early 2027.
“Potential property impacts will be identified when the project advances to the point of having a preferred alignment which occurs at the end of the Preliminary Engineering and SEIS phases,” said the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Read more about why the Delaware River Bridge may soon be replaced by a modern structure in the Bucks County Courier Times.
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