The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) announced yesterday it has hired HDR Engineering ” to conduct a multi-year environmental review process that could help determine whether the 119-year-old weight-restricted operationally challenged Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge should be replaced.” Under a contract not to exceed approximately $8 million, HDR will evaluate options for replacing or rehabilitating the bridge, or taking no action. According to DRJTBC chief executive Joe Resta, the contract award “is a step forward toward determining what approach the Commission should take with its aging, limited-capacity, safety-challenged Washington Crossing Bridge and its inherently poor customer-experience profile. This environmental review will take years to complete. It’s a first step strictly limited to research and analysis. It does not authorize the hiring of a contractor and it certainly does not authorize design and construction of a new bridge.” Since February, when DRJTBC issued a request for proposals for the environmental review, some local government officials and residents have been challenging the replacement proposal on the basis that a modern structure is inconsistent with the area’s historic character. In the announcement of HDR’s selection, DRJTBC emphasized that the environmental review process will be thorough and provide ample opportunity for public input.
