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.