District 6 Accomplishments

I-95 Sections BS1/BS2

Median reconstruction now underway on Interstate 95 at the northern end of the Bridge Street Interchange will finish this spring, substantially completing the Section BS1 project and setting the stage for the start of Section BS2 mainline reconstruction and total reconstruction and relocation of the on-and-off ramps at Bridge Street.

Section BS1 southbound reconstruction of the I-95 travel lanes between Levick and Carver streets — including replacement of southbound bridges over Comly Street and VanKirk Street — wrapped-up last fall prior to the start of median work, the project’s final stage. The northbound pavement and new bridges were built under the previous stage of the $79.7 million Section BS1 contract that finished in late 2021.

PennDOT’s contractor on Section BS2 began early-stage clearing and utility work on surface streets in the area between Carver and Margaret streets last fall. Some work may take place on I-95 as conditions permit over the winter in the vicinity of the interchange as the contractor begins preparations for installing a new traffic pattern that will be in place during three years of upcoming BS2 construction.

Prior to beginning mainline work, the BS2 contractor will permanently close the existing northbound off-ramp to Bridge Street (Exit 27) in late March to begin retaining wall construction related to the replacement of the viaducts that carry I-95 over Bridge and Tacony streets. The contractor may complete mainline work zone paving and the installation of a construction barrier prior to the ramp closing.

When the northbound ramp permanently closes, northbound I-95 traffic heading for Bridge Street, Tacony Street, and Harbison Avenue will begin using the off-ramp to Aramingo Avenue at the immediately adjacent Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue Interchange.

Improvements already in place at the Betsy Ross interchange were designed to replace the closed Bridge Street ramp. They include widening on Aramingo Avenue between Wheatsheaf Lane and Church Street and construction of the Adams Avenue Connector, both completed in 2020. This work was designed to improve safety and mobility at the currently congested merge point between the off-ramp and surface streets at the Bridge Street Interchange.

Cost: $81 million & $267.9 million

County: Philadelphia

Markley Street (U.S. 202 South) Improvement Project

Construction has been substantially completed on the Section 510, Markley Street (U.S.202 South) Improvement Project following three years of work to reconstruct and widen the roadway, replace the bridges over Stony Creek, and improve two intersections and rail crossings between the Main Street/Dannehower Bridge and Elm Street in Norristown.

Crews finished major construction in mid-December 2022 with improvements at Main and Markley streets. PennDOT used an accelerated schedule using pre-cast concrete pavement slabs to provide a new riding surface through the busy intersection, upgraded utilities, a new SEPTA rail crossing, and new sidewalks with ADA ramps.

Under the Section 510 project, PennDOT • Rebuilt the four-lane section of Markley Street (U.S. 202 South) to include a center turn lane between Main Street and Marshall Street; • Replaced the northbound and southbound bridges over Stony Creek with a single structure; • Reconstructed and widened Main Street between Water Street and Barbadoes Street; • Widened Marshall Street between Corson Street and Markley Street; • Upgraded railroad grade crossings at Main Street and Marshall Street; • New stormwater drainage and upgraded utilities; • Installed Traffic Adaptive Signal Control Systems at seven traffic signals on Markley Street between Main Street and Johnson Highway; • Installation of ITS network elements on Markley Street and U.S. 202; • Improved traffic markings, signing, landscape plantings, and highway lighting; • Extended Barbadoes Street between Lafayette Street and Washington Street; • Installed new ADA curb ramps at all intersections to include pushbuttons, countdown signals, and continental crosswalks; and • Installed new traffic signal signals.

A final Markley Street (U.S. 202 South) project, Section 540, that will rehabilitate the historic stone-arch bridge over Stony Creek at Elm Street is expected to go into construction in late 2023.

Cost: $25.9 million

County: Montgomery

U.S. 1 (Roosevelt Expressway) Viaduct Rehabilitation

Stage 5 construction continues this winter as workers rehabilitate the outer northbound lane, shoulder, and parapet of the U.S. 1 (Roosevelt Expressway) viaduct over SEPTA and the Nicetown neighborhood in Philadelphia. Stage 5 is the second-to-last stage of PennDOT’s $94.4 million project to rehabilitate the mile-long structure.

This fall, the construction team removed the outer northbound lane, shoulder, and parapets, and continued repairing the structural components while painters on the underside of the bridge continued applying the primer coat to the viaduct’s steel.

Crews are now placing the new concrete deck in sections of the outer northbound lane and shoulder as conditions permit.

During Stage 5 construction, two lanes of traffic will remain on the refurbished southbound structure, and two lanes of northbound traffic will travel in the rebuilt median area. Stage 5 construction is anticipated to be completed in May 2023.

Following the completion of Stage 5 construction, the contractor will begin Stage 6, the final stage of the project. Stage 6 will move all traffic to the rebuilt travel lanes while workers install a new median barrier on the viaduct.

The contractor has installed most of the contract's new sign structures, including replacement highway signs on and near U.S.1 and several large electronic message boards that are used to communicate with motorists installed along regional highways.

In addition to work on the viaduct, repairs and painting of the structural steel components are nearing completion at the Fox Street bridge over U.S. 1. Repair of the overpass’s abutments and its structural steel and installation of a new water main have finished. Final paving on the bridge and its adjacent intersections and service road will be done this spring along with installation of ADA sidewalk ramps and application of the bridge’s final paint coat.

Cost: $94.4 million

County: Philadelphia