PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Work is about to begin on a much anticipated project to connect Interstate 95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike outside Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1p340wE ) that a $143 million contract went to a Newtown company that will widen and rebuild several miles of the turnpike in the area where the I-95 connection will be built.

The paper says the new interchange will mean I-95 won't be interrupted between Maine and Florida. The second stage of that project is expected to cost some $600 million and get underway in 2020.

That'll be followed by a second Delaware River bridge just south of the current span.

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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.inquirer.com