The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) – a regional bistate transportation agency serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey – opened a new multi-faceted Delaware River crossing point for pedestrians, bicyclists and sightseers on November 16, 2021.
The agency is calling the new facility the “Scudder Falls Shared-Use Path.” Its main element is a recently completed 1,587-foot-long walkway on the upstream span of the Scudder Falls (I-295) Toll Bridge – a heavily used commuter bridge between Ewing, N.J. and Lower Makefield, PA.
The facility provides a direct connection between the recreational towpaths along the Delaware & Raritan Canal in New Jersey and the Delaware Canal in Pennsylvania.
The new river link makes Scudder Falls the only river crossing in the Commission’s 20-bridge system that meets Federal Highway Authority criteria allowing bicyclists to pedal without dismounting. Fifteen of the Commission’s bridges currently provide some form of pedestrian access. However, for safety, liability, and logistical reasons, bicyclists must dismount and walk across these existing walkways.
The new Scudder Falls Shared-Use Path was constructed by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission under two separate toll-funded projects: the Scudder Falls Administration Building Project and the 4-1/2-year-long Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project, which is now nearing completion along the I-295 in Bucks County, PA. and Mercer County, N.J.
