The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has announced that the five ramp closures and corresponding detours that were scheduled to begin early Wednesday, July 24 at the flanking interchanges in the area of the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge’s first completed span have been postponed!
The previously announced travel restrictions are now rescheduled to begin during the afternoon on Friday, July 26, weather permitting.
The delay in implementation of the ramp closures became necessary after the recent heat wave wreaked havoc with weekend paving efforts along the I-295 New Jersey-bound approach lanes to the new Scudder Falls Toll Bridge’s first completed span.
The new bridge has been handling only Pennsylvania-bound I-295 traffic since its opening during late-night hours on July 9. New Jersey-bound I-295 traffic has since crossed the river on the old, “functionally obsolete” Scudder Falls Bridge. It will now continue to cross on the old for an additional two days.
New Jersey-bound I-295 traffic was expected to be shifted onto the new bridge during early morning hours of Wednesday, July 24. However, requisite paving work in the vicinity of the new bridge could not be performed this past weekend as originally planned. Excessively high temperatures thwarted the ability to apply multiple base asphalt layers and have them cool sufficiently before subsequent finish-asphalt layers could be applied.
As a result, the project contract will now need an additional two days to complete the necessary paving work and other preparatory activities before New Jersey-bound I-295 traffic can be shifted off the old bridge and onto the newly completed replacement span.
Accordingly, five corresponding ramp closures that were to go into effect with the shift of New Jersey-bound I-295 traffic also are postponed.
Full details are posted at scudderfallsbridge.com
