The Federal Highway Administration recently awarded the city of Philadelphia a $14.2 million Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program grant to repair and upgrade two bridges.
The program provides funding to make surface-transportation systems more resilient to extreme weather events worsened by the climate crisis, flooding, heat waves, sea-level rise, and other disasters.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation rated the Bells Mill Road and Valley Green Road bridges as being in poor condition. The bridges will be rehabilitated and enhanced through the city’s Bridge Sustainability in Northwest Philadelphia Project.
“This is tremendous news for Philadelphia, and for residents and others who travel our roads in Northwest Philadelphia on their way to and from Wissahickon Valley Park, a beautiful section of our City,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said. “I want to thank the Federal Highway Administration and our entire federal delegation for their work on this $14.2 million grant to rehabilitate two bridges over Wissahickon Creek. Philadelphia has received over $536 million in Federal funds for badly-needed infrastructure improvements and other needs under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.”
The funding was announced at a press conference near the Valley Green Inn in Philadelphia held on May 1.