While rebuilding the 85-year-old bridge that connects Penn with Center City is still a top priority for Philadelphia, the starting date for the project has yet to be announced.
Plans for reconstruction of the bridge have been in the works since 1995. According to a recent article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Streets Department chief engineer for surveys and design Dave Perri said that the $54 million project is expected to go out to bid before the school year starts.
Once the project gets a bidder, the bridge will be demolished. After demolition, it is estimated that reconstruction of the bridge will take up to two years, said Perri.
"This bridge is the number one safety concern of all the bridges in Philadelphia," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's press secretary Doug Oliver. "As far as infrastructure issues, this is high priority."
Oliver said that since Nutter's administration has been in office, completing the project has been a top priority. However, he added that taking the time to allow "an opportunity for everyone to have their voice be heard" has further delayed finalizing the plans.
And recently, community members have been critical of the reconstruction design proposed by the city.
"The community groups and the administration have met several times," said Oliver. He added that while no final solution has been reached, "we are close to a point where ... we have something to announce."
This past March, the South Street Bridge Coalition commissioned urban planning firm Wallace Roberts & Todd L.L.C. to put forward a modification plan to the city's original redesign. However, so far the city has not included these changes in their plans for the bridge.
Also, the project does not include renovations of the ramps - which a 2007 state report said were the most dangerous ramps on the Schuylkill Expressway.
According to PlanPhilly.com, an organization affiliated with Penn Praxis, it would cost more to replace the ramps and close down the expressway than to rebuild the entire bridge.
Perri told the Inquirer that the ramps are the responsibility of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. To repair the ramps would be a separate project, he said.
However, under the current plan the city will widen the lanes at the intersection of the bridge span and the Schuylkill Expressway ramp, as well as designate two lanes specifically for turning. This will increase the turning radius of drivers on both ramps and should help prevent accidents.
And, for Penn, reconstruction couldn't come at a better time.
"We are happy that the city is working to reconstruct the bridge because the safety and well-being of those who use the bridge is of the utmost concern to us," wrote University spokesman Tony Sorrentino in an e-mail. "Its temporary closing will be challenging, but tolerable, if mitigated with smart planning and efficient construction management."
