The governors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey are proposing a public-private partnership to revamp the Scudder Falls Bridge that carries Interstate 95 over the Delaware River.

This bridge has been classified as "Functionally Obsolete" under the Federal Highway Administration rating system, and receives Current Level Service Grade of "F" on a rating scale used by highway engineers, according to the Pennsylvania Governor's Office.

The project, proposed by Govs. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania and Chris Christie of New Jersey, would be the first multi-state public-private partnership in the U.S.

"This bridge is in critical need of improvement for safety reasons, and motorists who travel it are in dire need of relief from the daily bottleneck that it causes on I-95," Rendell said. "By creating a public-private partnership, we can complete construction more quickly and efficiently, while allowing the Bridge Commission to focus on ongoing construction and maintenance projects on its other 19 bridges."

The governors are directing the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, or DRJTBC, which operates and maintains the 50-year-old span, to pursue the $310 million modernization project starting next month by soliciting requests for proposals.

The upgrades would be funded by tolling commuter vehicles between $1 to $2 and trucks $4 per axle. The bridge currently has no tolls.

"As one of the heaviest-trafficked routes across the Delaware River, the Scudder Falls Bridge is in need of serious maintenance and modernization," said James Simpson, New Jersey Department of Transportation commissioner. "In these difficult fiscal times, it is critical that we find creative ways to make improvements and deliver services that are efficient and cost-effective for taxpayers."

Designed in the late 1950s, Scudder Falls Bridge, which has two lanes in each direction and no shoulder, handles nearly 60,000 vehicles daily and is the scene of 105 crashes annually.

The plan calls for the surface to be widened to three lanes in each direction, with three additional auxiliary lanes and a wider median. The project also includes reconfiguration of nearby interchanges on both sides of the river and improvements to adjoining I-95 highway segments.

"This is a public safety issue," Rendell said. "We will improve safety conditions on the bridge and the adjoining highways, and ensure critical access for community facilities and emergency services between the two states, especially during the hours of heavy travel when the bridge is now jammed solid with traffic."

The governors will ask the DRJTBC to convene a meeting in August to issue an RFP for legal and financial services. The winning team will assess the best structure for the deal based on a market analysis, and work with the DRJTBC on an RFP for design, building, financing and operating the new bridge. A team would then be chosen to complete the project and operate the bridge with Commission oversight.