Starting with the upsurge of automobile traffic in 1946, the Pennsylvania Turnpike expanded from the original 110-mile (180 km) highway west from Irwin to the Ohio border and east from Carlisle to Valley Forge.

A local AAA chapter spearheaded a failed effort to have the bridge named after William Penn.

To maintain the "high-speed, low-interruption" characteristics ("low interruption" referring to the few stops needed to pay tolls or fuel up at the numerous full-service plazas on both routes), the new bridge was designed from the beginning as a high-level crossing.

The Assistant Chief Engineer for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission stated that ..."the crack likely was caused by a combination of factors, including age and plug welds that were commonly used in the 1950s to fill mistakenly drilled holes.

[9] On September 22, 2018, the bridge became part of Interstate 95 when the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project's first components of construction were completed.

The final component of the direct interchange project between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 95 in Bristol Township is the replacement of the Delaware River Bridge.

However, in March 2020 the New Jersey Turnpike Authority announced in their capital improvement plan that the 1956 span will be replaced and a new study will be formed to determine the design of the new roadways.