The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) aims to permanently close the I-95 north ramp to Bridge Street and Harbison Avenue. According to PennDOT, this is part of a long-term highway infrastructure project to improve traffic at the interchange.
Drivers should expect to see the ramp shut down around April 18. Crews will begin work on a retaining wall along the northbound side of the highway.
According to officials from PennDOT, when the off-ramp closes, northbound I-95 and westbound Betsy Ross Bridge traffic heading for Bridge Street, Tacony Street and Harbison Avenue will begin using the Exit 26 off-ramp to Aramingo Avenue at the Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue Interchange.
Westbound bridge traffic will continue to have direct access to the northbound lanes on I-95.
Road signs on I-95 and the Betsy Ross Bridge will notify drivers of the pending changes and shutdown of Exit 27.
Officials said the BS2 Project involves reconstructing the viaduct over Bridge and Tacony streets along with the adjacent sections of I-95, and work on I-95 is expected to be completed by early summer.
The improvement project aims to reduce the exits that take motorists on to residential streets that are more prone to accidents.
Construction of the new retaining wall will allow crews to temporarily widen the northbound side of I-95 approaching the viaduct which will create a six-lane traffic pattern that runs through the work zone and interchange for the duration of the project.
Currently, work is being done in the I-95 median south of Bridge Street to build a crossover for the new pattern. Construction to replace the southbound side of the viaduct is scheduled to begin in early 2024, followed by the northbound side replacement.
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Source: PhillyVoice.com
