Scudder Falls Shared-Use Path Overview

The Scudder Falls Shared-Use Path is a new multi-faceted facility along the Delaware River in Lower Makefield, PA., and Ewing, N.J. It includes a park-n-ride lot, a comfort station, an interpretive bridge display, and an active transportation network of paths, ramps and bridge walkways, providing direct connectivity between Pennsylvania’s Delaware Canal towpath and New Jersey’s Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath.

This new facility was constructed by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission and is funded by the tolls the agency collects at its eight toll bridges. The Commission has committed to operating and maintaining the facility’s various components in perpetuity.

This new connectivity system was constructed under the Scudder Falls Administration Building Project and the 4-1/2-year-long Scudder Falls Bridge Replacement Project, which is now nearing completion along the I-295 corridor in Ewing, N.J. and Lower Makefield, PA.

* Note: The bridge walkways and ramps are 10-feet-wide with accompanying 4-foot-6-inch railing heights that meet Federal Highway Administration standards for integration of pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The new shared–use facility makes Scudder Falls the only river crossing in the Commission’s 20-bridge system where bicyclists can pedal across without dismounting. Fifteen of the Commission’s bridges currently provide some form of pedestrian access. However, for safety, liability, and logistical reasons, bicyclists must dismount and walk across these existing walkways.

The 0.86-mile-long Scudder Falls Shared-Use Path consists of the following:

  • A 1,587-foot walkway* on the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge’s upstream span.
  • An access ramp and concrete path extension to the D&R Feeder Canal towpath on the New Jersey side.
  • An access ramp to the Delaware Canal towpath on the Pennsylvania side.
  • Four scenic overlooks on the bridge walkway and access ramps.
  • A recently installed pedestrian bridge* to facilitate safe crossings of pedestrians and bicyclists over the Delaware Canal.
  • The 1799 House – a former stone residence that was adaptively re-used to serve as a trailhead comfort station in close proximity to the Delaware Canal towpath. A ramp provides access to this facility in compliance with the American Disabilities Act.
  • Benches and a bicycle rack outside the 1799 House.
  • An interpretive display consisting of one granite block and a bearing from the first Scudder Falls Bridge that was constructed in 1959 and removed from service in 2019.
  • A 127-space park-n-ride lot near the intersection of Taylorsville and Woodside roads in Lower Makefield.
  • Permeable asphalt paths connecting the pedestrian canal bridge, the 1799 House and the park-n-ride lot on the Pennsylvania side.

Scudder Falls Path Program

Click on the program to view the full version

Shared-Use Path Overhead Drone Footage

The following restrictions and use guidelines apply only to the .86-mile-long Scudder Falls Shared-Use Path linking the canal towpaths that are in close proximity to the Delaware River in Ewing, N.J. and Lower Makefield, PA. and the new Scudder Falls (I-295) Toll Bridge.  The bridge and the shared-use facility are owned, operated, and administered by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC), a bistate federal compact agency established by the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey in 1934.  The construction, operation and maintenance of this new bi-state facility is funded strictly by the DRJTBC tollpayers.

The guidelines and restrictions apply to conduct on and within any portion of the Scudder Falls Shared-Use Path facility.  This includes the Commission-owned public park-n-ride lot and 1799 House comfort-station area off Woodside Road in Lower Makefield; the connector paths between and around those facilities; a pedestrian walkway across Pennsylvania’s Delaware Canal; the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge walkway, access ramps, and the pathway connection to New Jersey’s D&R Canal towpath.

The two canal towpaths are located in respective linear state parks operated by the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The parklands are open for public use from dawn to dusk.

Commission employees are trained and empowered to patrol the walkway. The State Police agencies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are contracted to provide law enforcement functions at the DRJTBC’s 20 bridges and related facilities.

The prohibitions and guidelines on this webpage are intended to promote public safety, mitigate potential conflicts among path users, and safeguard the operational and physical integrity of this public facility.  The listed guidelines and prohibitions on this page may be amended at any time.

Click on the map to view the full version

Bridge Path Rules

Strictly Prohibited:

Littering Fishing Throwing
Objects
Flying Drones
or Kites
Unleashing Dogs/Walking Dogs on Long Leashes Driving/Riding
Motorized
Bikes/ Vehicles
(ADA-Devices Exception)
Possessing/Using Alcohol and Controlled Dangerous Substances Climbing Skateboarding Rollerblading

Be Courteous, Respectful and Safe:

Keep Slow, Safe Speed Use Bike
Helmets
Use Audible
Warnings
Yield to
Pedestrians
Keep Right Watch for Children Be Prepared to Stop

General Guidelines

For All Path Users

  • Share the path; do not block passage of others
  • Keep to the right whether pedaling, walking, or running
  • Be courteous and respectful
  • Pass on left
  • Standing sightseers stay close to railing
  • Refrain from obscene language (children and families may be present)
  • Keep the pathway clean
  • Keep a short leash on dogs
  • Owners must clean up after their dogs

General Guidelines

For Pedestrians, Runners

  • Keep alert
  • Refrain from darting in front of runners and bicyclists
  • No congregating, blocking the path
  • Keep close watch on children

General Guidelines

For Bicyclists

  • Wear a helmet
  • Bicyclists yield to pedestrians
  • Go at a slow, safe speed (10 MPH maximum speed)
  • Be prepared to stop
  • Do not lock or leave bicycle unattended on pathway
  • Signal (bell, whistle or shout) before passing
  • Pass on the left

Restrictions on Use of Path

The following items and actions are prohibited along the bridge walkway, access ramps and approach sidewalks:

  • Driven motorized vehicles, including “power-assisted” bicycles
    • ADA-compliant wheelchairs and related devices for disabled people are permitted
  • Unleashed dogs
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Skateboards, roller skates, and rollerblades
  • Obstructing public entry, access or passage
  • Littering
  • Jumping
  • Fireworks
  • Filming or still photography of the bridge’s structural components and vehicular traffic
  • Climbing
  • Horses (horses are prohibited on the New Jersey towpath)
  • Defacing property (graffiti, vandalism)
  • Weapons (firearms, knives, etc.)
  • Blocking passage of pedestrians and bicyclists
  • Panhandling
  • Soliciting (includes charitable contributions, surveys, petitions, politics, religion, sales, etc.)
  • Excessive noise including amplified speakers, sound systems, compressed-air-powered horns
  • Fishing and hunting
  • Drones
  • Kite flying
  • Flammable and hazardous materials
  • Fireworks and incendiaries
  • Posting flyers, advertisements, notices, solicitations
  • Signs, flags, banners, props
  • Gambling
  • Sleeping, lying down, sitting
  • Distribution of food or drink
  • Tables, stages, platforms, canopies, tents, stationary umbrellas
  • Public events and demonstrations without pre-authorization (Use of Facilities Permit) from the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission

Access Points
and Parking Information

The following items and actions are prohibited along the bridge walkway, access ramps and approach sidewalks:

PA Side

DRJTBC Park-n-Ride Lot (corner of Woodside and Taylorsville roads)

  • Entrance from Woodside Road in Lower Makefield, PA.
  • Near I-295/Taylorsville Road interchange (Exit 10)
  • 127 parking spaces, including handicap-only
  • Permeable-asphalt path connects to 1799 House comfort station

NJ Side

NJ Division of Parks and Forestry Lot
-Scudder Falls Recreation Area

  • Near intersections of Routes 29 & 179 and Bernard Drive, Ewing, N.J.
  • North side of I-295/Route 29 interchange (Exit 76)
  • Only open dawn to dusk
  • Limited parking
  • Unpaved

Special Events

Any organized event involving 10 or more people including school field trips, runs, walks, celebrations, ceremonies and other similar activities must request a permit from the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission at least three weeks prior to the event. Important Note: The pathway will not be closed and public access will not be infringed for any event.

Contact

For questions and comments about the shared-used facility’s guidelines and regulations, or to seek a Commission Use of Facilities permit, please contact the Director of Community Affairs Jodee Inscho during weekday business hours at jinscho@drjtbc.org or 267-394-6561.

Links