Frequently Asked Questions

The Washington Crossing Bridge Alternatives Analysis involves the development and evaluation of designated approaches the Commission might consider before determining a future course of action at its 120-year-old weight restricted, operationally challenged Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge. The alternatives analysis is being conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, assessing the needs of users and stakeholders while considering potential impacts to environmental and cultural resources. Alternatives are expected to include no action, replacement, rehabilitation, and/or repurposing the current bridge.

The analysis is being undertaken because the bridge’s last comprehensive rehabilitation occurred in 1996. An additional multi-faceted improvement project was completed at the bridge in 2010. The Commission has reached a juncture where it must decide how public funds would best be spent on this aging, deficiency-riddled structure and its problematic geometry. It is the Commission’s narrowest vehicular bridge with a 15-foot-wide roadway divided into two 7-foot, 6-inch travel lanes (one in each direction) with a sharp S-curve on the New Jersey approach. Pedestrian traffic is restricted to a 3-foot, 6-inch walkway. The bridge has had a three-ton weight restriction since 1993.

Periodic updates - when warranted - will be posted on this website. In addition, various outreach sessions are expected to present information and obtain comments from motorists, pedestrians, residents, businesses, and other interested parties at applicable points during the process. Information on these events will be posted on this website. An email list of interested individuals also is being compiled as part of this process. To be included, please visit the website’s contact portal, fill out the form, check the appropriate box for future updates, and hit the “Submit” tab.

The estimated timeframe for the Washington Crossing Bridge Alternatives Analysis is 30 months. The process began in August 2024 and is expected to be completed no sooner than February 2027.

The Commission conducts bridge inspections every two years in accordance with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Bridge Inspection Standards. The last inspection report, issued in January 2025, determined the Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge to be "capable of safely supporting the posted load." The report is available for viewing at www.drjtbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024_Inspection_Report.pdf.

The Commission makes weight restriction changes on its bridges when data shows they are warranted. Weight restrictions are not a function of this analysis process.

The Washington Crossing Bridge Alternatives Analysis will include numerous studies including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Rehabilitation of the existing bridge
  • Potential bridge replacement & approach roadway alignment options
  • Travel demand & forecasting
  • Roadway & intersection capacity
  • Crash data
  • Traffic impacts/mitigations
  • Land use, socioeconomic & environmental justice
  • Wetland, watercourse & floodplain
  • Terrestrial & aquatic habitat
  • Threatened & endangered species
  • Cultural resources
  • Section 4(f) resources
  • Air quality
  • Noise receptors
  • Community facilities & services
  • Stormwater management & water quality
  • Hydrology & hydraulic effects
  • Geotechnical conditions
  • Right-of-way impacts
  • Utility impacts
  • Constructability
  • Construction schedule & cost
  • Construction staging & traffic control

Cultural resource studies will be conducted and the alternatives analysis will consider potential effects on properties listed, or eligible for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places following the guidelines outlined in Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

The bridge is expected to remain open throughout the alternatives analysis. There may be periodic lane restrictions involving alternating one-way traffic for various information-collection activities. Potential long-term and temporary traffic impacts for the respective alternatives will be evaluated under this process.

The Washington Crossing Bridge Alternatives Analysis is a data-gathering process guided by the National Environmental Policy Act and is not anticipated to physically impact the crossing reenactment events that are held annually near the bridge or the semiquincentennial planned for 2026.

As is the case with all Commission projects, the alternative analysis’ costs are to be paid for with a share of the tolls the agency collects at its eight highway toll bridges along the river. The Commission does not receive any tax funds from its two jurisdictional states or the federal government.

The ultimate goal of the Washington Crossing Bridge Alternatives Analysis is to identify a course of action for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission to address the Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge’s many deficiencies. A range of alternatives will be assessed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, concluding with the lead reviewing agency making a Proposed Action determination. If applicable, the Commission could then proceed with additional steps, which may include final design, securing necessary permits, and construction.