Chestnut Street Bridges Rehabilitation Project
The Chestnut Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River in Center City Philadelphia reopened on March 19, marking the substantial completion of PennDOT’s $105.1 million project that included repairs to eight other nearby structures on both sides of the river. The bridge had been closed to through traffic since August 2019.
Prior to reopening the river bridge and the adjoining section of Chestnut Street between the bridge and 23rd Street, crews completed reconstruction of the roadway and structural repairs on the separate stone arch bridges over the CSX rail line and over 24th Street.
Work will continue until mid-2022 to replace the stone facia on the south side of the 100-plus-year-old 24th Street arch bridge and the arch bridge over CSX. 24th Street will remain closed to through traffic until all of the work on the arch bridge is completed.
Work on the Chestnut Street river bridge included repairs or replacement, and repainting of its structural steel components, construction of a new concrete deck, sidewalks, and parapets, and installation of new parapet rails and new decorative lighting.
The project also made room for a parking-protected bicycle lane on the north side of Chestnut Street between 31st Street and 22nd Street.
New street lighting and new traffic signals — including a specialized “bicycle head†signal at Schuylkill Avenue and Chestnut Street — were installed along Chestnut Street between 31st Street and 23rd Street.
Repairs also have been substantially completed on two, adjacent viaducts carrying Schuylkill Avenue over Interstate 76 in front of 30th Street Station, on a subsurface viaduct carrying Chestnut Street over 30th Street rail facilities, and on-ramps to and from I-76 at Walnut Street.
New sidewalks were built on the viaducts, and clear acrylic barriers were installed atop parapets along Amtrak Northeast Corridor tracks located on the west side of Schuylkill Avenue West between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street.
Crews will install the final components of the viaduct’s new drainage systems this spring to wrap up construction on the two Schuylkill Avenue viaducts over Interstate 76.
In addition, repairs were made to strengthen the “river wall†that helps support I-76 where it abuts the west side of the Schuylkill River beneath Schuylkill Avenue from Walnut Street to Chestnut Street on the west side of the river.
The structures on Chestnut Street were constructed between 1910 and 1960 and carry an average of 18,300 vehicles per day. The structures on Schuylkill Avenue were constructed in the late 1950’s and carry an average of 8,600 vehicles per day.
Philadelphia County: $105.1 million
More About the Chestnut Street Bridges Rehabilitation Project