The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $600 million in federal funding to go toward replacing the Delaware River Bridge that connects Burlington County and Bucks County, Pennsylvania’s two U.S. senators announced on Saturday.
The funding will come from the FY 2025 Bridge Investment Program and will “will widen the bridge to align with surrounding approach roadways and accommodate projected long-term traffic growth, while also addressing critical infrastructure risk, enhancing travel reliability, improving safety, and bolstering flood resilience.”
According to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the bridge, which currently services 67,000 vehicles per day, plans to replace the bridge have been ongoing ever since an “unexpected fracture in one of the bridge’s support trusses” caused the bridge to close for six weeks in 2017.
Although no timetable for when construction would start was given, the PTC website states that analysis and design planning for the new bridge will “continue through 2027.”
“This $600 million investment is one of the most consequential infrastructure commitments in Pennsylvania’s history, and we are proud to have fought to secure this funding by writing directly to Transportation Secretary Duffy to make the case for why the Delaware River Bridge deserves federal investment,” Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick said in a press release. “The Delaware River Bridge is not just a Pennsylvania asset; it is a backbone of our national freight and passenger transportation network. This funding will make it safer and more resilient for the commuters, families, and businesses that depend on it every single day.”