Work to replace the Scudder Falls Bridge could begin as early as the spring after officials on Monday approved a $396 million construction contract and a $475 million bond authorization to finance the project.
The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission awarded the Pittsburgh-based Trumbull Corporation a contract not to exceed $396 million.
Officials say a precise start date is not yet available, but the contractor will likely begin survey work in March and construction activities as early as April.
The project to replace the bridge is expected to take about 4½ years to complete, which will be built in three major stages.
The 57-year-old bridge was classified as functionally obsolete over concerns about capacity, safety deficiencies, its lack of shoulders and the geometry of its interchanges.
Under the project, the four-lane Scudders Falls Bridge will be replaced with a dual-span structure carrying six lanes of traffic and three auxiliary lanes for traffic merging on and off the bridge.
On Monday, the commission also authorized the issuance of up to $475 million in bonds to finance the project, which received no federal or state funding.
