I-95 GR4 Reconstruction Project

Temporary construction barriers remain in place and occasional daytime and off-peak travel restrictions may be in place on both northbound and southbound I-95 through mid-2022 as work is completed in the center of the interstate. Later this spring, all barriers should be removed until the next phase of the overall Girard Avenue Interchange project begins in 2023 south of the on-off ramps.

Ongoing work beneath the new, mile-long I-95 viaducts between Palmer and Ann streets includes creation of a variety of public spaces, including construction of a multi-use trail that will be incorporated into the Delaware River Greenway that stretches along the waterfront.

PennDOT is also installing cobblestone pathways, dyed concrete pavement, rain gardens, rock-lined drainage basins, strips of planted grass areas, benches, trees, and small public parking areas.

Pedestrian-friendly LED street and overhead lighting will illuminate the underside area when construction of these sustainable, ground-level improvements that are designed to benefit residents living in neighborhoods along the interstate finishes in summer 2022.

During the past three years of construction on the Section GR4 contract, PennDOT has rebuilt and widened southbound I-95, including replacement of the mile-long southbound viaduct between Ann and Palmer streets, rebuilt the southbound off- and on-ramps, and installed noise barrier walls along southbound I-95. The northbound viaduct was replaced under Section GR3 construction that finished in 2018.

As construction continues on the final southbound bridge, southbound U.S. 1 paving between Street Road (Route 132) and the commercial area approaching Old Lincoln Highway will be finished over the winter if conditions permit.

The new southbound U.S. 1 ramp to Street Road (Route 132) has been completed and is now open (see below). After construction in the middle portion of Street Road wrapped up in late 2021, reconstruction of the westbound side of Street Road got underway. The new ramp from Street Road to southbound U.S. 1 will remain under construction until westbound widening on Street Road finishes in the spring. Eastbound Street Road reconstruction between Kingston Way and Old Lincoln Highway finished earlier in 2021.

The GR4 contract also includes installation of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) components that are currently under construction at various locations across the region (on I-95, U.S. 1 and U.S. 322). Those components will assist PennDOT and the City of Philadelphia with traffic and incident management on the region’s highways.

The GR4 improvements in place between Allegheny Avenue and Palmer Street connect to a 1,200 foot-segment of I-95 south of the interchange that was reconstructed in 2013-2015 under the GR2 contract.

Philadelphia County: $316.9 million

More About the I-95 GR4 Reconstruction Project

I-95 Section AF2 Improvement Project

The section of Castor Avenue between Richmond Street and the Interstate 95 on-ramp that’s been closed since late 2021 is scheduled to receive its final course of paving and be reopened in late April, reopening access to the ramp from Richmond Street.

West of the I-95 northbound on-ramp, reconstruction of the north (westbound) side of Castor Avenue continues into early summer. Work will then shift to the south (eastbound) side and continue before completion in late summer.

Construction to improve the Castor Avenue/Delaware Avenue intersection will then get underway, completely closing the intersection for approximately one month. During the closure, traffic will be detoured using Delaware Avenue and Allegheny Avenue.

Reconstruction of the east (northbound) side of Delaware Avenue is now underway and is expected to be completed in late summer.

Work also continues until later this spring to install a lining in the twin brick sewers under Allegheny Avenue from east of Richmond Street to the river. Allegheny Avenue remains open with lane restrictions during this work.

 

Allegheny Avenue will then be rebuilt between Richmond Street and Delaware Avenue beginning this fall, once work at the Castor/Delaware intersection is completed.

The contractor has installed temporary traffic patterns on Allegheny, Castor, and Delaware avenues for the current stage of work. Improving these surface streets in Port Richmond under the I-95/AF2 contract will improve traffic movement to and from the I-95/Allegheny Avenue Interchange. The interchange will be improved under subsequent projects to rebuild northbound (Section AF3) and southbound (Section AF4) I-95 at the interchange.

In addition, PennDOT has begun storing fill dirt at Monkiewicz Playground on Richmond Street between Allegheny Avenue and Westmoreland Street. The dirt mounds are being placed on the Temporary Construction Easements along Richmond and Bath streets that were secured by PennDOT for use during I-95 construction. PennDOT is working with the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation to potentially use the dirt to cover the contaminated soil that closed the Playground a number of years ago.

Philadelphia County: $31.7 million

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