Public Meetings Reveal PA Turnpike and NJTA’s Recommended Preferred Alternative
Public Meetings Reveal PA Turnpike and NJTA’s Recommended Preferred Alternative
Bucks County, PA and Burlington County, NJ – Nearly 300 community members participated in the third series of joint public meetings between the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike) and New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) on the Delaware River Bridge Project, which will improve the reliability of the I-95 crossing over the Delaware River to increase capacity, ease congestion and support the third stage of the PA Turnpike/Interstate-95 (I-95) Interchange Project.
Held in Bristol Township, PA and Florence Township, NJ, this series of meetings presented the results of the preliminary environmental analysis and the PA Turnpike’s and NJTA’s recommended preferred alternative. The PA Turnpike and NJTA’s recommendation is the North Partial Impact (NPI) Alternative, which is the safer, less disruptive solution. NPI would include the construction of a new bridge approximately 195 feet north of the existing bridge centerline. Construction would take approximately 3.3 years.
“The Delaware River Bridge supports a critical crossing for the entire mid-Atlantic region, and this project represents a long-term investment in infrastructure that addresses the bridge’s age and enhances the reliability of this crossing for future traffic,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “These public meetings play a vital role in the project process, providing an opportunity for both agencies to hear directly from the community and ensure their voices and concerns are considered as we move forward.”
Since NPI allows the entire new bridge to be built at once and away from traffic, it offers enhanced safety for both construction workers and the traveling public and cuts the overall construction time nearly in half compared to the other alternative being evaluated. This shorter timeframe means less disruption to the community, local businesses, and daily life.
“Thank you to the hundreds of residents, motorists, elected officials and others who attended one of the meetings in person or virtually,” said NJTA Executive Director Kris Kolluri. “The NJTA and our partners at the PA Turnpike have identified what we believe is the best option for securing the future of this critical connection between our roadways. This series of meetings gave us an opportunity to discuss that option with stakeholders, describe the advantages it has over other alternatives, and make sure the people who will be most affected by this improvement have their voices heard as the process moves forward.”
A shorter construction window also supports the local community by reducing the length of time they would experience construction-related noise and traffic delays and impacts on regional and freight mobility. It also minimizes the overall length of time river navigation would be affected by the proposed project. The new bridge is designed with a 100-year service life.
Potential impacts for both NPI and NSA were shared during the public meetings this week. Final property impacts will not be identified until further along in the design process. The project team is actively working to minimize these impacts throughout the process.
In 2022, the PA Turnpike and NJTA began re-evaluating rehabilitation and replacement options for the existing Delaware River Bridge as part of the PA Turnpike/I-95 Interchange Project, which directly connects both roadways to make I-95 a continuous route throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Since then, they have studied nine different replacement alternatives.
In October of 2025, the two agencies advanced two alternatives for additional evaluation, both north of the existing bridge. While NPI is PA Turnpike and NJTA’s recommended preferred alternative, they will continue to study the second northern alterative, North Staged Alternate (NSA) Alternative, throughout the process.
This Project follows the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), including FHWA’s implementing regulations at 23 CFR Part 771, which works to balance engineering and transportation needs with social, economic, cultural, and natural environmental factors. Throughout the process, input is gathered from a wide range of stakeholders – including the public, businesses, interest groups, and agencies at all levels of government – to inform project outcomes. These comments will be considered as part of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), which will be available prior to the public hearings anticipated this Winter 2026/2027.
Following public hearings and the preparation of the Final SEIS, FHWA will ultimately issue a Record of Decision indicating final alignment. The PA Turnpike and NJTA will then determine the next steps for final design and construction of the project.
The PA Turnpike, in partnership with NJTA, is leading the project with oversight from FHWA. For more information, to provide public feedback or to sign up for future project notifications, please visit DelawareRiverTurnpikeBridge.com.
###
Media Contacts:
Marissa Orbanek, Press Secretary: 267-408-5151, morbanek@paturnpike.com
Tom Feeney, Media Relations & Public Information Manager: 732-750-5333, feeney@njta.gov