PennDOT - District 6 News
Wolf Administration Highlights Chestnut Street Bridges Project in Center City Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA – PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards was joined by University City District representatives, stakeholders and guests in Center City Philadelphia today for a tour of the ongoing Chestnut Street bridges project and the beginning of a yearlong closure of the bridge that carries Chestnut Street over the Schuylkill River.
"PennDOT is committed to bridge preservation," said Richards. "This project is critical for the mobility of those who live and work in Center City Philadelphia."
The Chestnut Street bridge over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia is scheduled to close sometime after 8:00 PM tonight, August 5 for a year of construction to repair and redeck the 62-year-old eastbound connection between University City and Center City.
The bridge will be closed and detoured to vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians between Schuylkill Avenue near 30th Street on the west side of the river and 23rd Street on the east side. Access from Chestnut Street to the Schuylkill River Trail along the east bank of the river also will close.
During the closure, motorists and cyclists heading east from West Philadelphia will be detoured north on either 38th Street, 36th Street or 33rd Street to east on Market Street, then across the river to 23rd Street.
Chestnut Street motorists in the vicinity of 30th Street also may turn left on Schuylkill Avenue to access either eastbound Market Street or John F. Kennedy Boulevard across the river to Center City.
An alternate detour for cyclists will be to take 38th Street or 34th Street south, turn left on Spruce Street, then east on South Street across the river to 22nd Street.
Pedestrians will be detoured to either the Market Street or Walnut Street bridges over the river.
PennDOT is rehabilitating the Chestnut Street bridge under a $103.6 million project that also includes the rehabilitation of seven other nearby structures, including two Schuylkill Avenue viaducts over I-76 between Market Street and Walnut Street; the viaduct under Chestnut Street between 30th and 31st streets; the I-76 west ramp to Chestnut Street; the Walnut Street ramp to I-76 east; and the Chestnut Street stone arch bridges over 24th Street and over the CSX rail line west of 24th Street. The contract also includes repairs to a 900-foot section of the "river wall" retaining wall between the river and I-76, and to a retaining wall between the Schuylkill River Trail and the river at Chestnut Street.
Work on the two ramps has been completed. Construction will continue on the remaining five bridges and retaining walls through 2020.
In addition to repairing and repainting the steel superstructure and replacing the deck, improvements to the Chestnut Street Bridge also include:
Construction of wider sidewalks;
Installation of decorative barrier and railings;
Replacement of millennium lighting on Chestnut Street over the Schuylkill River;
Construction of a new trellis at the Chestnut Street Trailhead to the Schuylkill River Trail; and
Creation of a dedicated bicycle lane on the north side of Chestnut Street between 34th Street and 22nd Street.
The Chestnut Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River, which carries approximately 18,664 vehicles per day is expected to reopen in August 2020. The current bridge was built in 1957, replacing the original iron arch bridge that was built in 1912.
Buckley & Company Inc., of Philadelphia is the general contractor on the project, which is financed with 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funds. More information is available at www.chestnutstreetbridges.com.
Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com or downloading the 511PA application for iPhone and Android devices. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.
Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAPhilly and like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation and Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brad Rudolph, 610-205-6800
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