March 30, 2026
Provided Image/Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
A $600 million award from the Department of Transportation will support the replacement of the Delaware River Bridge that connects the Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpikes along Interstate 95 between Bristol, Bucks County, and Burlington Township, Burlington County.
The long-range plan to replace the Delaware River Bridge, which connects the Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpikes along Interstate 95, will get $600 million in federal funding, lawmakers said.
The two states have been evaluating options to replace the bridge for more than two decades. The 1.25-mile-long bridge, built in 1956, carries about 67,000 vehicles daily between Bristol Township, Bucks County, and Burlington Township, Burlington County, with two lanes in each direction.
Traffic across the span has risen sharply since 2018, when ramps were completed to make I-95 continuous throughout the region.
Pennsylvania U.S. Sens. Dave McCormick (R) and John Fetterman (D) said the $600 million award will come from the Department of Transportation using funds from a program created by the 2021 infrastructure bill passed during the Biden administration.
The senators called the project "one of the most consequential infrastructure commitments in Pennsylvania's history" and said they wrote directly to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to advocate for federal funding.
“The Delaware River Bridge is not just a Pennsylvania asset; it is a backbone of our national freight and passenger transportation network," McCormick and Fetterman said in a joint statement. "This funding will make it safer and more resilient for the commuters, families, and businesses that depend on it every single day.”
The two turnpike commissions are still deciding on the best alternative to improve the toll crossing.
One option would involve building a new bridge about 40 feet north of the existing span to be completed in stages over a period of eight years. Traffic would be phased over to the new structure, which eventually would have six lanes, and the current bridge would be removed once a portion of the new bridge is completed allowing traffic between both states.
The other option is to build a new bridge about 75 feet north of the current span, completing the entire structure in four years. The Pennsylvania- and New Jersey-bound portions would be separated by about 15 feet.
"We will host the last of three public meetings this spring, where we will present the results of the detailed alternatives analysis," Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission spokesperson Marissa Orbanek said Monday. "Public hearings will take place in late 2026."
The earliest construction could begin on the replacement is likely 2031, once the engineering phase of the project is completed, officials said in the fall. The entire project is expected to cost $1.47 billion with contributions coming from both turnpikes.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (D) called the federal award a "major win" for residents of both states, and Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the project will "keep significant freight traffic flowing" between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Truck traffic now accounts for about 16% of the vehicles on the Delaware River Bridge.
Efforts to rehabilitate the bridge have fallen short in years past.
One plan selected in 2003 had called for a parallel bridge to be built to the south side of the existing bridge. Under that plan, the Delaware River Bridge would have been maintained for traffic entering Pennsylvania.
In 2017, a crack found in one of the bridge's steel trusses forced a nearly seven-week closure, causing major delays and detours. At the time — before its connection to I-95 — the bridge carried about 42,000 cars daily.
Once the problem was repaired, the Federal Highway Administration recommended a new process to explore either rehabilitating the bridge or building a new span.
Regardless of which option the turnpike commissions choose for a new span, the existing toll bridge will remain open throughout construction.
