After years of planning, Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpike officials have settled on a design for the long-awaited replacement of the Delaware River Bridge linking Bucks County and Burlington County, writes Thomas Fitzgerald for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The plan calls for a six-lane tied-arch bridge, rising roughly 195 feet north of the current 70-year-old span that connects the two states’ turnpikes between Bristol, PA and Florence, NJ.

At an estimated $1.6 billion, the design beat out competing proposals largely on practicality. Officials say the new design can be built faster and cheaper than the alternatives.

Just as important, the distance allows crews to work without shutting down the existing bridge, sparing commuters and local businesses from prolonged detours.

About choosing the design based on these factors, Pennsylvania Turnpike senior engineer John Boyer said, “Shorter time frames mean less disruption to local businesses and daily life for the communities in this area.”

The redesign comes after a dramatic increase in bridge traffic in recent years. Traffic across the span has increased from about 42,000 vehicles a day before the I-95/Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange opened in 2018 to nearly 70,000 today.

That number is projected to climb to 93,000 by 2050.

A $600 million federal grant, announced in March, will help cover the cost, with the Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpike agencies splitting the rest.

Federal review is expected to run through 2028 before construction can begin, meaning the new bridge, however necessary, is still years from breaking ground.

Learn more about the Delaware River Bridge and plans for the bridge’s upcoming redesign in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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