Category: News

Work Continues on Three Bridges This Winter

Construction continues this winter on three new replacement bridges that are part of the roadway improvements under the $111 million project to widen and improve U.S. 1 in Bensalem and Middletown townships, Bucks County.

New structures over the Neshaminy Creek, the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange and adjacent rail lines, and Rockhill Drive at the Neshaminy Exit remain in various stages of completion.

Crews at the Neshaminy Creek Bridge are building abutments and center piers for the new northbound bridge over the creek (see above). The new southbound bridge over the creek was finished in mid-2023 and is now carrying four lanes of northbound and southbound traffic through the work area.

North of the creek, deck construction is underway on the new southbound bridge over the interchange (see above) while four lanes of traffic use the new northbound bridge that finished last spring.

Construction also continues at the southbound U.S. 1 bridge over Rockhill Drive (see bottom image) at the Neshaminy exit south of the creek. The new northbound bridge at this interchange also finished last summer.

Adjacent to the bridge, work continues on the ramps on the southbound side of the interchange through next spring. While the on-ramp to southbound U.S. 1 is still closed for construction, the southbound U.S. 1 off-ramp to Rockhill Drive remains open during construction.

Between the three bridges, U.S. 1 is being widened to accommodate a third lane in each direction. Pavement is being placed at locations between the bridges in those areas as excavation and drainage improvements are completed.

Section RC2 is part two of PennDOT’s three-phase project to improve four miles of U.S. 1 in Bucks County by reconstructing and widening the pavement, building several bridges, and improving several interchanges along a continuous three-mile section of highway in Bensalem and Middletown townships. RC2 construction is expected to be completed in mid-2026.

PennDOT in 2014 completed $14.8 million in improvements at the U.S. 1/Maple Avenue Interchange in Middletown Township as part of their overall initiative to modernize and upgrade the U.S. 1 corridor in Bucks County.

A third project, RC3, will improve U.S. 1 from the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange north through the Route 413 overpass. The project is beginning the Environmental Assessment phase and is not yet scheduled for construction.

Bridge Construction Continues at Three Locations Along U.S. 1

Construction progresses this fall on three new bridges being replaced under the $111 million project to widen and improve U.S. 1 in Bensalem and Middletown townships, Bucks County.

New structures over the Neshaminy Creek, the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange and adjacent rail lines, and Rockhill Drive at the Neshaminy Exit remain in various stages of construction.

The northbound side of the old bridge over the Neshaminy Creek was dismantled over the summer, and crews are now building abutments and a center support column for the new northbound span. The new southbound bridge over the creek was finished earlier in the year and is now carrying four lanes of northbound and southbound traffic (see above).

At the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 exit north of the creek, traffic is using the new northbound bridge over the interchange while the adjacent southbound structure is being built. Crews set deck beams for the new bridge in late summer (see above) and will continue the process of building the new bridge’s deck through the remainder of the year.

At the Neshaminy exit south of the creek, where work on the new northbound bridge finished in mid-summer, construction is now underway on the new southbound side of the overpass at Rockhill Drive.

The new northbound off-on ramps at Rockhill Drive, now both located at the southeast quadrant of the interchange, are in service while work continues on the ramps on the southbound side of the interchange through next spring (see right). While the on-ramp to southbound U.S. 1 is still closed for construction, the southbound U.S. 1 off-ramp to Rockhill Drive remains open during construction.

Activity on U.S. 1 between the Turnpike and the bridge over Rockhill Drive has shifted to the median area, where crews are installing new drainage components and sign structures prior to constructing new pavement (see below).

Section RC2 is part two of PennDOT’s three-phase project to improve four miles of U.S. 1 in Bucks County by reconstructing and widening the pavement, building several bridges, and improving several interchanges along a continuous three-mile section of highway in Bensalem and Middletown townships. RC2 construction is expected to be completed in mid-2026.

PennDOT in 2014 completed $14.8 million in improvements at the U.S. 1/Maple Avenue Interchange in Middletown Township as part of their overall initiative to modernize and upgrade the U.S. 1 corridor in Bucks County.

A third project, RC3, will improve U.S. 1 from the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange north through the Route 413 overpass. The project remains in Final Design and is not yet scheduled for construction.

Bridge Construction This Summer at Three Locations Along U.S. 1

As four lanes of U.S. 1 traffic weave through the work zone from the Turnpike Interchange to north of the Penndel Exit (see below), PennDOT’s contractor continues making progress on three new bridges and other improvements being completed under the $111 million project to widen and improve U.S. 1 in Bensalem and Middletown townships, Bucks County.

New structures over the Neshaminy Creek, the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange and adjacent rail lines, and Rockhill Drive at the Neshaminy Exit are in various stages of completion.

Near the center of the mile-long work area, crews are dismantling the existing northbound bridge over the Neshaminy Creek (see right) and will begin building abutments for the new span this summer.

Four lanes of northbound and southbound U.S. 1 traffic were shifted onto the new southbound Neshaminy Creek bridge last spring following completion of roadway improvements on both sides of the bridge. 

North of the creek, abutment and center support pier construction continue on the new southbound bridge at the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange (see below). Working through the challenges of building a bridge over busy SEPTA/CSX rail lines and imposing PECO electric line towers, crews expect to finish building the bridge’s supports and installing deck beams in late September, with deck work continuing into the fall.

Up the hill south of the creek, vehicles are riding on new southbound pavement and shoulders and then over the existing southbound bridge over Rockhill Drive while the northbound side of the bridge is being constructed. The new northbound bridge is anticipated to be completed in early August. Once the northbound side is completed, traffic will be shifted onto the rebuilt section while crews demolish and reconstruct the southbound side of the overpass.

The stop sign at the end of the ramp from the Turnpike to northbound U.S. 1 also will be removed at this time as traffic entering the expressway will have a continuous third lane to merge with mainline traffic.

Last spring, following completion of a long retaining wall to support the widened northbound pavement approaching the Neshaminy exit, traffic leaving and entering U.S. 1 was shifted onto new northbound on-off ramps. Traffic was placed on the new off-ramp at the Penndel exit as well.

The on-ramp to southbound U.S. 1 from Rockhill Drive remains closed for construction to improve the interchange. While the rebuilt southbound off-ramp here remains open, crews will reconstruct the southbound on-ramp during construction of the southbound side of the overpass, which is expected to be completed and the ramp reopened next spring.

Excavation north of the Turnpike continues in the shoulder areas to allow for the construction of an additional travel lane in both directions on U.S. 1 through the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange. Widened sections on the northbound side will be completed and opened to traffic following completion of the new northbound bridge over the Neshaminy Creek.

Section RC2 is part two of PennDOT’s three-phase project to improve four miles of U.S. 1 in Bucks County by reconstructing and widening the pavement, building several bridges, and improving several interchanges along a continuous three-mile section of highway in Bensalem and Middletown townships. RC2 construction is expected to be completed in mid-2026.

PennDOT in 2014 completed $14.8 million in improvements at the U.S. 1/Maple Avenue Interchange in Middletown Township as part of their overall initiative to modernize and upgrade the U.S. 1 corridor in Bucks County.

Work this spring will focus on the construction of three new bridges on U.S. 1 along with the continued widening of the highway to construct an additional travel lane in each direction.

With all lanes of traffic now on the rebuilt northbound portion of the U.S. 1 bridge over the Penndel/Business 1 Interchange and adjacent CSX/SEPTA rail lines, demolition began in January to prepare for the construction of the southbound side of the structure (see below). The old bridge’s remaining support piers will be demolished this spring as crews construct the abutments for the new southbound span.

Immediately south of this bridge, work will wrap up in early spring on a new traffic pattern that shifts northbound and southbound traffic onto the new southbound bridge over the Neshaminy Creek that was completed last fall (see bottom photo). Once both directions of traffic are placed on the new bridge, the existing northbound bridge will be demolished, and work will begin on the new northbound side of the creek crossing.

Work continues to replace the northbound side of the Rockhill Drive bridge over U.S. 1, with both directions of traffic traveling on the existing southbound side. Once the northbound side is completed, traffic will be shifted onto the rebuilt section while crews demolish and reconstruct the southbound side. The on-ramp to southbound U.S. 1 from Rockhill Drive remains closed for construction to improve the interchange.

Excavation north of the Turnpike continues in the shoulder areas to allow for the construction of an additional travel lane in both directions on U.S. 1 through the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange. On the northbound side approaching the Neshaminy Exit, construction of a retaining wall to support the embankment for construction of a new off-ramp to Rockhill Drive (see above-right).

Section RC2 is part two of PennDOT’s three-phase project to improve four miles of U.S. 1 in Bucks County by reconstructing and widening the pavement, building several bridges, and improving several interchanges along a continuous three-mile section of highway in Bensalem and Middletown townships. RC2 construction is expected to be completed in mid-2026.

PennDOT in 2014 completed $14.8 million in improvements at the U.S. 1/Maple Avenue Interchange in Middletown Township as part of their overall initiative to modernize and upgrade the U.S. 1 corridor in Bucks County.

Construction This Winter on Two New U.S. 1 Bridges North of the Turnpike; U.S. 1 Improvements Completed South of the Turnpike

With U.S. 1 improvements between Old Lincoln Highway and the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bucks County (Section RC1) completed in December 2022 (see below), construction this winter will focus on the construction of two new bridges north of the Turnpike (Section RC2).

Section RC1 roadway, bridge, and interchange construction between the Turnpike Interchange and Old Lincoln Highway in Bensalem Township, the first of three construction projects for PennDOT’s U.S. 1 Bucks Improvement Project, finished in early December. Section RC1 construction began in late 2018, reconstructed and widened one mile of U.S. 1, and replaced bridges over Street Road (Route 132), the Turnpike and its ramps, and Bristol Road. The U.S. 1/Street Road (Route 132) interchange also was reconstructed.

RC2

Last fall work was finished on the new northbound U.S. 1 bridge over the rail lines at the Penndell/Business U.S. 1 Interchange. Two lanes of traffic in each direction were shifted onto the new structure while the contractor completed construction of the northbound section of the new U.S. 1 bridge over the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange. All lanes of traffic were subsequently shifted onto the new span to allow for the demolition and reconstruction of the southbound side that began in early January (see below).

U.S.1 excavation north of the Turnpike continues in the northbound and southbound shoulder areas for the construction of an additional travel lane in both directions on U.S. 1 through the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange.

Additionally, construction continues to replace the northbound side of the U.S. 1 bridge over Rockhill Drive (see right) to accommodate the widening on U.S. 1. Both directions of U.S. 1 traffic travel on the existing southbound side during this bridge construction. The on-ramp to southbound U.S.1 from Rockhill Drive remains closed for construction to improve the interchange.

Section RC2 is expected to be completed in mid-2026.

The contracts, RC1 and RC2, are part of PennDOT’s three-phase project to improve four miles of U.S.1 in Bucks County by reconstructing and widening the pavement, building several bridges, and improving several interchanges along a continuous section of the highway in Bensalem and Middletown townships.

PennDOT in 2014 completed $14.8 million in improvements at the U.S. 1/Maple Avenue Interchange in Middletown Township as part of their overall initiative to modernize and upgrade the U.S. 1 corridor in Bucks County.

Section RC1 Substantially Completed. Three New Bridges Under Construction North of the PA Turnpike

The project to improve U.S. 1 in Bucks County reaches significant milestones this fall with the substantial completion of Section RC1 and completion of two new bridges north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Section RC1, the first of three construction projects for PennDOT’s U.S. 1 Bucks Improvement Project, will be completed this fall after nearly four years of construction to widen and improve the roadway between the Turnpike Interchange and Old Lincoln Highway. Section RC2 remains focused on the construction of new U.S. 1 bridges over the Neshaminy Creek, over Rockhill Drive at the Neshaminy Exit, and over the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange.

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RC1

The first of three projects under PennDOT’s initiative to improve travel and safety on the U.S. 1 corridor in Bucks County, the $95 million Section RC1 contract between Old Lincoln Highway and the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Bensalem Interchange will be substantially finished in early fall.

Under construction since late 2018, Section RC1 reconstructed and widened approximately one mile of U.S. 1, and replaced bridges over Street Road (Route 132), the Turnpike and its ramps. The Bristol Road bridge over U.S. 1 also was replaced under this first section to accelerate work on the U.S. 1 widening currently underway under Section RC2.

In addition, a third travel lane was constructed in each direction, medians were widened to provide 12-foot-wide inside shoulders, and driveway accesses from U.S. 1 to Street Road were relocated. The road’s profile also was raised to improve vertical clearances over Street Road (Route 132), the Turnpike and its ramps.

The U.S. 1 interchange with Street Road (Route 132) also was reconstructed. The westbound Street Road (Route 132) ramp was relocated to the south side of the highway, where it shares a new signalized intersection, with turn lanes, with the off-ramp from northbound U.S. 1. Ramps to and from southbound U.S. 1 were constructed west of U.S. 1, with access at another new signalized intersection.

Left-turn lanes also were added in both directions at the Turnpike’s westbound slip ramp intersection on Street Road (Route 132), and a new on-ramp from eastbound Street Road (Route 132) to southbound U.S. 1 was added.

Section RC1 included replacement of the ramps to and from U.S.1 and the Turnpike interchange. 

Post-construction “punch list” adjustments, with associated short-term travel restrictions, may continue in the RC1 work area through spring 2023

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RC2

Section RC2 construction north of the Turnpike continued with excavation in the northbound and southbound shoulder areas, where an additional lane will be built in each direction through the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange.

Also at that interchange, the northbound ramp to Penndel/Business U.S. 1 has been reconstructed and widened. A temporary traffic signal is in place during construction at the turn-around at the bottom of the ramp to southbound Old Lincoln Highway.

On the southbound side, crews completed deck construction on the new southbound U.S. 1 bridge over the Neshaminy Creek and began construction of the third southbound lane south of the bridge through to the Neshaminy Interchange. The bridge is currently being used as the on-ramp to southbound U.S. 1 from Old Lincoln Highway while the new mainline bridge approach is being constructed.

A major traffic pattern shift is expected in spring 2023 that will move two lanes of northbound and southbound U.S. 1 traffic onto the new southbound bridge, allowing the existing bridge to be dismantled and demolished over the winter months. Once the bridge and its supports are removed, work will get underway to build the new northbound structure.

North of the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 interchange, construction also is progressing on the new northbound bridge over the Penndel/Business U.S. 1 Interchange and the adjacent rail lines (see above). At the completion of this structure later this fall, two lanes each of northbound and southbound U.S. 1 traffic will be moved onto the new span and then shifted to the west as part of the traffic shift onto the new southbound bridge over Neshaminy Creek. Work will begin to remove and replace the original southbound bridge.

The section of Old Lincoln Highway between the southbound on-ramp and Bristol Road also was reconstructed over the summer and reopened in early fall.

In late summer, following work started on replacing the U.S. 1 bridge over Rockhill Drive at the Neshaminy Exit. U.S. 1 traffic was shifted to the existing southbound bridge, and work is now underway to replace the northbound side of the overpass with a wider structure to accommodate the widening on U.S. 1. The on-ramp to southbound U.S. 1 from Rockhill Drive has been closed for construction to improve the interchange. Section RC2 is expected to be completed in mid-2026.

The contracts, RC1 and RC2, are part of PennDOT’s three-phase project to improve four miles of U.S. 1 in Bucks County by reconstructing and widening the pavement, replacing several bridges, and improving several interchanges along a three-mile section of highway in Bensalem and Middletown townships.

PennDOT in 2014 completed $14.8 million in improvements at the U.S. 1/Maple Avenue Interchange in Middletown Township as part of their overall initiative to modernize and upgrade the U.S. 1 corridor in Bucks County.