Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Acting Executive Deputy Secretary Melissa Batula joined local officials in Philadelphia to celebrate the completion of major construction on the Chestnut Street bridges project.
The $104.7 million project rehabilitated the Chestnut Street bridge, as well as two Schuylkill Avenue West viaducts over I-76 between Market and Walnut streets, the ramp to Chestnut Street; the Walnut Street ramp to I-76 east; and the Chestnut Street stone arch bridges over 24th Street and the CSX rail line west of 24th Street.
“We work closely with the city to make investments that will help residents’ and visitors’ travel experience less stressful,” said Batula. “We’re working hard to connect our communities, help you get around more easily, and of course increase our safety.”
The project also repaired a 900-foot section of the “river wall” retaining wall between the river and I-76, and a retaining wall between the Schuylkill River Trail and the river at Chestnut Street. Other repairs included replacing the concrete deck, improvement to the concrete deck, constructing a dedicated, parking-protected bicycle lane, building wider sidewalks, installing decorative barriers and railings and replacing millennium lighting on the bridge.
“It gives me great pride to represent the department and to recognize the tremendous amount of hard work and dedication that went into this very highly-coordinated, highly-complex and highly-critical project to improve Chestnut Street,” said PennDOT District 6 Executive Lou Belmonte.
The project was funded with 80 percent federal and 20 state funds. Work on the project began in August 2017, with the Chestnut Street Bridge opening for traffic in March 2022 after a two-year closure. The Chestnut Street Bridge carries approximately 18,664 vehicles per day. Minor work on the bridge continues, officials said.