The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is advancing the next major phase of upgrades to U.S. 1 in Bucks County, the Section RC3 Improvement Project. RC3 will improve safety, update roadway design and support current and future travel demands along the corridor. The $227 million phase follows the completion of Section RC2 in September 2025.
Section RC3 will upgrade U.S. 1 from north of the Penndel Interchange to just beyond the Corn Crib Lane overpass. The improvements will replace aging infrastructure, improve traffic flow and expand multimodal access across the region.
PennDOT plans to reconstruct multiple bridges, replace a box culvert and remove the northbound and southbound frontage roads to simplify travel patterns. The project also includes two new Lincoln Highway interchanges. Upgrades will correct vertical grades, acceleration lanes and sight distances that no longer meet current design standards. Project plans also include the addition of roundabouts at three intersections and new signal systems to address recurring congestion.
The project places strong emphasis on pedestrian and community access. PennDOT will add sidewalks, ADA-compliant ramps and crosswalk improvements to enhance connections across Pine Street and Gillam Avenue. Stormwater basins, channel upgrades and drainage improvements will help mitigate localized flooding. The agency will also relocate and modernize three Intelligent Transportation System devices to support safer and more reliable travel through the corridor.
Project funding totals roughly $227 million, according to PennDOT’s Environmental Assessment, with federal sources covering 80 percent of costs and the state funding the remaining 20 percent. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Transportation
Improvement Program includes allocations for preliminary design, final design, right-of-way acquisition, utilities and construction between FY 2025 and FY 2028.
PennDOT’s schedule forecasts final design beginning in summer 2026, followed by right-of-way acquisition in winter 2027 and construction in spring 2029.
Photo by Guaraguao, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
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