KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A public survey is underway as authorities explore the future of the Delaware River Bridge, connecting the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpikes.
It’s early in the process, but the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority want to know what the public thinks when it comes to rehabilitating or replacing the 70-year-old turnpike connector bridge. An online survey is up until Jan. 3, asking the 67,000 daily drivers who cross the four-lane bridge and people who live near it what environmental concerns they may have.
“Right now we’re reevaluating making changes to this bridge,” Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission press secretary Marissa Orbanek told KYW Newsradio. “It’s really going to enhance safety and improve capacity and make this a better experience for the tens of thousands of people who drive the Delaware River Bridge each day.”
The survey results will be shared in early 2025, Orbanek said.
“Eventually we’re going to be presenting a series of community engagement meetings throughout the public just to talk about the process.”
A 2003 plan to build a second span for eastbound traffic was shelved when a fracture in a truss forced a temporary closure of the existing two-way bridge in 2017.
Preliminary engineering is expected to last until 2027, with final design work incorporating the public input taking until 2031.