On Jan. 15, a long-term closure of the Chestnut Street Bridge over Interstate 95 in Philadelphia will begin as part of a $329 million project to build a new cap over I-95.
The bridge is being demolished as the existing cap over the highway is demolished. A larger cap with a park spanning I-95 and columbus Boulevard is built between Chestnut and Walnut Streets. The project si expected to take up to five years to complete.
In Nov., crews began tearing down the walnut Street pedestrian bridge that hung overColumbus Boulevard.
Demolition of the sections of the Chestnut and Walnut bridges is expected in Feb.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) spokesperson Brad Rudolph, The work over the lanes of I-95 will likely require a weekend closure of the interstate.
“We’re in early discussions right now. But it looks like it’s going to be a weekend closure for 95 northbound,” Rudolph told KYW Newsradio. “That will happen sometime in February. So we’re looking at perhaps a Friday night to Monday morning closure of 95 north.”
When the bridge closes, Chestnut Street traffic will have to turn right onto southbound Front Street.
Seven SEPTA bus routes that use the bridge to loop around onto Market Street — including Routes 5, 17, 21, 33, 38, 42 and 44 — will also be detoured during the years of construction.
The Chestnut Street Bridge over I-95 was built in 1975, Rudolph said, and carries more than 1,600 vehicles a day.
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Source: MSN.com
