The Delaware River Turnpike Bridge in January 2026. (Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com)
The span serves as a key link for I-95, connecting Bucks County with Burlington County, New Jersey
A plan to replace the aging bridge connecting the Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpikes received a massive boost as federal officials awarded $600 million toward the project.
The money, which was announced over the weekend, is being provided through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FY 2025 Bridge Investment Program.
The $600 million will fund the replacement of the 70-year-old Delaware River Bridge. The span serves as a key link for I-95, connecting Bucks County with Burlington County, New Jersey.
In a joint statement, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican, and U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, called the project “one of the most consequential infrastructure commitments in Pennsylvania’s history.”
The senators stated they had advocated for the funding in direct appeals to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The Delaware River Bridge in an overhead view looking from New Jersey. (Credit: PA Turnpike Commission)“The Delaware River Bridge is not just a Pennsylvania asset; it is a backbone of our national freight and passenger transportation network,” the senators said.
The existing four-lane bridge, which opened in 1956, currently carries approximately 67,000 vehicles daily.
According to project officials, the current bridge setup is no longer sufficient for the I-95 corridor. Trucks account for 16 percent of the total traffic volume.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority have concluded the current structure cannot be rehabilitated to meet modern needs or federal preservation standards.
While the bridge remains safe and undergoes inspections every two years, it required emergency repairs in 2017 after a truss fracture that forced a weeks-long closure.
Planners are currently weighing two plans:
• Building a new six-lane span adjacent to the current bridge, which would result in four years of traffic impacts.
• Constructing the bridge in stages and shifting traffic as sections are finished, a process estimated to take eight years.
The Delaware River Turnpike Bridge in summer 2024. (Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com)The bridge project would widen the crossing to match surrounding highways, improve flood resilience, and provide a continuous I-95 route through the Mid-Atlantic.
Environmental and historical reviews are ongoing, with officials studying the impact on local wetlands, migratory birds, and neighborhood noise levels.
The U.S. Coast Guard is also reviewing a proposal for the new structure to sit 135 feet above the water.
Field investigations are expected to continue through 2026, and the project is moving toward a final design phase in 2029.
Construction could begin by the end of the decade, with an estimated completion date in the early 2030s.
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