Southbound Roadway, Bridge Construction on U.S. 1 Underway
Winter 2020-21 – Center area construction on U.S. 1 was completed in late fall and reconstruction of the southbound side got underway in December on the project to widen and improve U.S. 1 and reconstruct the interchange at Street Road (Route 132) in Bensalem Township, Bucks County.
Work on this project is being done in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific COVID-19 safety plan, which will include protocols for social distancing, use of face coverings, personal and job-site cleaning protocols, management of entries to the job site, special signing, and relevant training.
Early-stage construction underway this winter will remove the pavement (see right) and begin installation of subsurface utilities and stormwater drainage pipes and inlets on the southbound side. Demolition of the southbound sections of U.S. 1 bridges over the Turnpike, the Turnpike ramps, and Street Road (Route 132) also has started, along with construction of foundations for sound walls that will be installed south of the Street Road (Route 132) Interchange.
Activities this winter also will focus on completing construction of the new southbound U.S.1 ramp to and from east and westbound Street Road (Route 132). This ramp is being used temporarily for access from southbound U.S. 1 to eastbound and westbound Street Road (Route 132) as the new ramp is completed.
On Street Road (Route 132), reconstruction of the middle section of that roadway under the U.S. 1 overpass will be coordinated with construction of the western half of the U.S. 1 bridge this winter. Construction to widen the eastbound side of Street Road (Route 132) west of the overpass will resume in the spring.
Access to and from properties located on both sides of U.S. 1 will continue to be maintained during construction.
Further north on U.S. 1, crews have removed the old Bristol Road overpass and are building abutments for the new bridge and reconstructing the approaches to the bridge on both sides of U.S.1 (see above) to improve the new bridge’s vertical clearance. Working as weather conditions permit, abutment and center support pier construction will lead to the setting of bridge deck beams in late winter. Deck construction is expected to be underway by early spring, putting the replacement bridge on target for completion — and lifting of the detour — later in the spring.
Current construction on the $94 million project (RC1) is the first of three PennDOT contracts (RC2, RC3) that will improve more than four miles of U.S. 1 from Old Lincoln Highway in Bensalem Township through Langhorne Borough and Langhorne Manor to north of the Route 413 Interchange in Middletown Township, Bucks County, over the next seven-plus years.
A number of engineering activities for the next phase of the project may be taking place along the corridor as well. Motorist may encounter off-peak lane restrictions for some of these activities.
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.
Alan Myers Construction, of Worcester, PA, is the general contractor on RC1.