Decades In The Making, I-95, Turnpike Connector Opens To Motorists

After more than 60 years, drivers will be able to travel continuously on I-95 from the top of Maine to the bottom of Florida.

The Saturday morning opening of the new flyover ramps at the Bristol exit means drivers can commute easier by directly connecting the two highways.

The multi-phase project has been under construction for years, including its most obvious features: two more than 2,000-foot-long connecting “flyover” ramps that cross Durham Road and Veterans Highway (Route 413) in Bristol Township.

With the opening of the flyover ramps, the Turnpike stretch between the New Jersey border and the connector in Bristol Township has been redesignated I-95. In New Jersey, I-95 travelers will be routed on that state’s I-95 connector. The Turnpike now officially begins after the connector in Bristol Township. In addition, the former I-95 north of the connector is now designated I-295 in both the east and west lanes.

“This new interchange – along with the re-designation of parts of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania turnpikes – will finally complete I-95’s missing link, making the interstate continuous from Florida to Maine,” said Pennsylvania Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “Its opening also marks the completion of the original Interstate system decades after the law that created the network of highways was signed in 1956.”

“Motorists who travel in this area have been waiting a long time to realize the benefits this direct link will bring, namely reduced congestion on Bucks County roadways and improved traffic flow in the Philadelphia region and the entire east coast,” said Pennsylvania Turnpike Commissioner Pat Deon, a Lower Bucks County native.

Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick told the crowd at the grand opening ceremony that was held at the Bristol Plaza Shopping Center Friday that 40 percent of America’s gross domestic product travels along the 1,900-mile-long I-95 corridor.

“At 1,900 miles, I-95 is the longest north-south artery in the United States and our most-used highway regarding vehicle miles traveled,” Deon said.

The first stage of the massive project, which was celebrated with the opening of the connector, includes the following features:

• Three miles of new interchange flyovers and Interchange ramp reconstruction;
• 14 new bridges in addition to the multi-span flyover structures;
• 17 new interstate lane miles;
• Environmental features including three acres of wetland mitigation;
• A half-mile of stream mitigation;
• New Red-bellied Turtle habitat enhancements in Silver Lake Park and along the Mill Creek Corridor;
• State-of-art highway runoff best management practices, including 31 stormwater management basins;
• Three rain gardens;
• A high-speed, westbound cashless-tolling location, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania;
• A new, conventional mainline toll plaza at Neshaminy Falls with Express E-ZPass lanes;
• Advanced Intelligent Transportation display and communication systems to notify motorists of conditions during construction, as well as a work-zone traveler information and incident notification system;
• More than two miles of retaining walls;
• More than three miles of new sound barriers; and
• Eoadway, traffic-signal and multimodal improvements to these adjacent roadways essential to the project.

Over the next year, work on the I-95 (formerly Turnpike) ramps that connect to Route 13 near Green Lane will take place.

The first stage of the project cost $450 million that was split almost evenly between the Turnpike and Federal Highway Administration.

Moving forward, the second stage of the project includes constructing a new Turnpike bridge over New Falls Road, which could start as soon as next year, and the six remaining connections between the Turnpike, I-95, and I-295. A third stage, which is largely dependent on funding, would include either a replacement or second span for the Delaware River Bridge that connects Bristol Township to New Jersey. The third stage, if funded, would begin in 2025 or after.

The total cost of the project is expected to come in well north of $1 billion.

The first stage created hundreds of construction-related jobs over the years and will provide an incentive for businesses that rely on highway transportation to open up in Lower Bucks County, officials said.

For Bucks County Commissioner Robert Loughery, the economic benefits to the region and Bucks County are the key factor.

Bristol Township Council President Craig Bowen said the township has already seen new businesses open due to the easier highway access. He added he received word at the opening ceremony that a new company was looking to add 60 to 70 jobs in the township due to the easy access to the highways and some of the country’s largest metropolitan areas.

“The completion of I-95 will have tremendous benefits for Bucks County in terms of economic development, job creation, and reduced traffic congestion on area roads,” said TMA Bucks Executive Director Steve Noll. “This project will be a game changer for Bucks County and beyond, and I look forward to experiencing the results.”

The connector marks the final project completed under President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, which has helped create 47,000 miles of highway in throughout the United States.

From the 1960s until the 1980s, there was a plan for the Somerset Freeway that would connect I-95 from north of the Scudders Falls Bridge to I-95 in northern central New Jersey. The plan never moved forward due to rising cost proposals and protests from New Jersey residents.

“Collaboration and the use of technology have played large roles in the success of this project,” said PennDOT District 6 Executive Kenneth McClain.

State Sen. Tommy Tomlinson said he has been involved in the project since at least 1994. The politician with shock white hair joked that he had black hair at the time.

With the new connector, the cashless tolling point operated by the Turnpike that drivers hit as they enter Pennsylvania over the Delaware River Bridge will remain. The highway-speed cashless tolling system snaps a photo of a passing vehicles’ license plate and mails an invoice to the vehicle owner. The cost for E-ZPass motorists is $5 and $6.75 for those without it. Larger commercial vehicles will pay a higher toll.

The flyover ramps get their name, according to planners, because motorists will continue to travel at highway speeds (55 mph) unlike many connector ramps where drivers have to slow down.