Scudder Falls Bridge

The Scudder Falls Bridge is a toll bridge that carries Interstate 295 (I-295) over the Delaware River, connecting Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with the Scudders Falls section of Ewing Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.

The k in the surname apparently became a c at some point in time, helping to give the falls and modern-day bridge its name.

The extra s at the end of "Scudders" was dropped to make pronunciation of the bridge's name easier.

Because the bridge was not originally part of the Interstate Highway System, the cost of construction was not 90% covered by the federal government.

Instead, they covered 50% of the cost of the new span, while New Jersey and Pennsylvania paid the remaining 50% of the total bill,[10] as with an ordinary U.S. Highway route.

[12] Starting in 2003, the DRJTBC began working on plans to replace the bridge, improve the safety and traffic flow of its two immediately adjoining interchanges (Taylorsville Road in Pennsylvania and Route 29 in New Jersey), and widen the Pennsylvania approach to the bridge (from four lanes to six).

The project was deemed necessary because despite only being 42 years old, the original configurations of the bridge, interchanges and roadways suffered from numerous inadequacies.

Also mentioned by the 2002 study is that Scudder Falls Bridge had been given a Level of Service (LOS) grade of "F" during peak rush hours and afternoons.

[16] To help finance this multi-faceted improvement project, the DRJTBC voted in late December 2009 to establish tolling at the crossing.

Commission executives have stated that it would be unfair to have the project financed solely by motorists using its other toll bridges, individuals who have been subsidizing the Scudder Falls facility already for more than two decades.

[19] The shared-use path on the bridge is the only one of its kind across the Delaware River crossing from Pennsylvania-to-New Jersey, in that it allows cyclists to ride across without dismounting.

Entrance to Scudders Falls access in New Jersey - note name indicated as Scudders, with an s at the end, a slight difference from the official bridge name
The original Scudder Falls Bridge in 2009
Plaque describing the replacement bridge