Pennsylvania and New Jersey are looking to a potential public-private partnership to help finance replacement of the 50-year old Scudder Falls Bridge, which connects the two states over the Delaware River.
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell announced Friday that he and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have directed the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission to release a request for proposals for legal and financial services for a potential P3 agreement. The winning team would develop a financing structure, bridge design, and P3 plan. The request for proposals is expected this month.
The commission would then look for a private concessionaire to build and operate the new bridge, with the agency’s oversight. The commission is a bi-state agency serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It oversees 20 bridges that span the Delaware River. The Scudder Falls P3 proposal is the commission’s largest capital project to date.
“In these difficult fiscal times, it is critical that we find creative ways to make improvements and deliver services that are efficient and cost-effective for taxpayers,” New Jersey Department of Transportation commissioner James Simpson said in a statement.
The Scudder Falls Bridge is not a tolled facility, but officials want to charge $1 to $2 for commuter vehicles and $4 per axle for trucks using the new span. Absent new tolling, existing commission tolls on other bridges will have to increase or the states will have to allocate funds for the new span.
Officials anticipate the new bridge will cost $310 million. Earlier this year, the commission planned on issuing debt in late 2010 or in 2011 to help finance the replacement span. It also pursued federal transportation program funds to help finance the project.
“By creating a public-private partnership, we can complete construction more quickly and efficiently, while allowing the commission to focus on ongoing construction and maintenance projects on its other 19 bridges,” Rendell said in a statement.
The Scudder Falls Bridge carries Interstate 95 over the Delaware River. Under the Federal Highway Administration rating system, it is classified as “functionally obsolete.” The span serves 60,000 vehicles daily. During peak hours, the average delay to cross the bridge is 27 minutes.
Plans call for the new span to have six traffic lanes, compared to the four lanes on the current bridge. The modernization would also reconfigure nearby interchanges on both sides of the river and upgrade adjoining I-95 segments.
“This public-private partnership will provide exactly that type of solution to move forward with the improvements that are needed at Scudder Falls Bridge and provide relief to drivers on I-95,” Simpson said.
Seven of the agency’s 20 bridges are tolled, with automobiles paying 75 cents.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is also pursuing a multi-state P3 agreement to help finance a new Goethals Bridge, which connects Staten Island and New Jersey. It dates back to 1928.
