When returning from the airport, students enjoyed a significantly cheaper cab fare thanks to the newly opened South Street Bridge.
To the delight of the city, the South Street Bridge is open for vehicles, pedestrians and bikers alike. Though there is still work to be done, President of the South Street Bridge Coalition James Campbell said that the bridge is doing “wonderfully well.”
Representatives from the Philadelphia Streets Department, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the South Street Bridge Coalition, consulting firm Wallace Roberts & Todd and the 30th Ward Democratic Committee joined forces to become the South Street Bridge Design Modification Resolution Team.
Marcia Wilkof, the Democratic Ward Leader of the 30th Ward, wrote in an e-mail that the team met for over 30 hours in a five-week period “to arrive at modifications to the bridge that the city, state, and community agreed to.” She and David Perri, chief engineer and surveyor of the Streets Department, led these meetings together.
The bridge now has wider sidewalks, wider bicycle lanes, fewer vehicle lanes, relocated street lights and traffic signal adjustments specifically for pedestrian movement and safety.
College freshman Lindsey Lansky was thrilled to use the South Street Bridge upon returning to campus. “I got back to campus much faster and had a nice view of the city.”
“It took me literally straight to campus,” College freshman Eliza Davis said. “The actual bridge is so much better than it was two years ago,” added Davis, a Philadelphia local. “They did a great job.”
Campbell noted that the original reconstruction plans did not take into account the bicycle and pedestrian traffic between Center City and University City. Changed from a five-lane bridge to a four-lane bridge, this new design made the bridge better and safer for pedestrians and bikers, while still accommodating vehicular traffic, he said.
When the bridge is completely finished, Campbell said, Penn students will be able to ride across the bridge, through the Schuylkill banks, right to the Art Museum, and through Penn Park. He mentioned that eventually there will be a connection going south as well.
Wilkof explained that the bridge project was an alliance between many parties. “The biggest issue for me is really how wonderfully things can happen when you have an open, transparent process that is collaborative with the government and the citizens, the city and the state and the key stakeholders,” she said.
Penn, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the neighborhood, pedestrians and drivers were all kept in mind during the reconstruction process.
Wilkof commended Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter for being “extremely supportive” and applauded The Resolution Team for their work. She believes the bridge has had a “huge impact on easing congestion.”
Campbell credited the University as a catalyst for the pedestrian-friendly changes. “We have received wonderful support getting changes from the students, graduate students and faculty.”
