South Street Bridge construction proceeding as planned

One year after construction began and one year before it is scheduled for completion, the South Street Bridge reconstruction is progressing as planned.

“Things are going along just fine,” said Jim Campbell, president of the South Street Bridge Coalition. Construction on the new $67-million bridge began Dec. 5, 2008, and is expected to wrap up by Thanksgiving 2010, according to Dave Perri, chief engineer for surveys and design for the Philadelphia Streets Department.

Due to the construction, intermittent lane closures and traffic stoppages will occur this week between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. until this Saturday, on Eastbound I-76 at the South Street Bridge interchange. The lane closures will allow crews to set steel girders in place over I-76, according to a press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Aside from placing the girders, Perri noted that construction crews are currently pouring the bridge deck west of the I-76 hub.

He added that the project is not only proceeding on time, but on budget as well.

The construction last made news in early September when the final design for the bridge span was revealed.

Original designs met resistance from area residents who voiced concerns over pedestrian safety.

However, the project architects, H2L2, “took into account the Coalition’s goals” and proposed the current design, Campbell told The Daily Pennsylvanian in September.

The new bridge will feature bicycle lanes that are tinted green to enhance their visibility to drivers.

The bridge towers will also feature programmable, multi-color LED lights behind frosted glass that will glow at night.

The recently-demolished South Street Bridge was originally built as a drawbridge and opened for traffic on Nov. 9, 1923.

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