Construction Update: Fall 2021

New U.S. 1 Neshaminy Creek Bridge Construction, Southbound U.S. 1 Paving South of the Turnpike

Excavation and bridge construction mark the progress of work to widen and improve U.S. 1 north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike as paving on the southbound side of U.S. 1 from Old Lincoln Highway to the Turnpike underway this fall.

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 three-mile section of highway in Bensalem and Middletown townships.


RC1

New southbound bridges are in place over the Turnpike (see below) and Street Road (Route 132) while the new southbound bridge over Turnpike’s ramps remains under construction through early 2022.

As construction continues on the final southbound bridge, southbound paving between Street Road (Route 132) and the commercial area approaching Old Lincoln Highway is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The new southbound U.S. 1 ramp to Street Road (Route 132) has been completed and is now open (see right). The new ramp from Street Road to southbound U.S. 1 remains under construction until next spring.

On Street Road (Route 132), eastbound reconstruction between Kingston Way and Old Lincoln Highway has finished. When median construction wraps up later this year, eastbound and westbound traffic will be shifted onto the new eastbound and median pavement. Westbound reconstruction will follow and continue through next spring as conditions permit.

Access to and from properties located on both sides of U.S. 1 will continue to be maintained during construction.

Construction on the $94 million RC1 project will continue into mid-2022. 


RC2

Construction is underway through the end of the year on the north and south abutments and two in-stream piers for the new southbound bridge over the Neshaminy Creek. Beam placement and deck construction will begin in early winter and continue through early 2022 as conditions permit.

Also this fall, excavation will continue behind temporary barriers along both sides of U.S. 1 north of the Turnpike Interchange for the construction of retaining walls and embankments that will support construction of a third travel lane, along with an auxiliary lane, in each direction from just north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Bensalem Interchange to the Penndel/U.S. 1 Business Interchange. 

Abutment construction has started on the northbound structure over the Penndel Interchange and adjacent rail lines, the project’s second set of large bridges. Work on the northbound structure will continue in coordination with utility relocations.

Excavation to widen the northbound off-ramp and southbound on-ramp from Business 1/Penndel also is underway.

Utility relocation work will occur periodically at the Neshaminy Interchange, which will be reconfigured and improved during a later stage of the project.  Improvements to the interchanges will meet current design standards for ramps and acceleration/deceleration lanes.

The $110.9 million RC2 project is scheduled 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.