A $149 million reconstruction of the Market Avenue bridge over the Schuylkill River and I-76 will start this month and can ultimately shut the street to vehicles for greater than a 12 months, beginning in August 2026.
PennDOT will partially demolish and substitute a piece of the street, which really consists of three bridge sections, and add a two-way, concrete-separated bike lane with a bicycle sign mild on its western finish. The close by Walnut Avenue bridge can even be resurfaced and acquire a motorcycle lane as a part of the challenge.
To accommodate development, a sequence of detours for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are deliberate, together with weekend closures of a stretch of I-76 close to Market Avenue that may direct drivers off the freeway and thru metropolis streets.
The three bridge sections have been erected in 1932, nicely earlier than the Schuylkill Expressway was constructed within the Fifties, mentioned Paul Schultes, a design development marketing consultant for PennDOT.
“Primarily, they’re simply on the finish of their helpful life,” he mentioned. “They haven’t had any main rehabilitation work finished on them since they have been initially constructed, and at this level we simply have to go in and restore and substitute loads of features of those bridges.”
The work is predicted to take 4 years to finish. Federal funds are overlaying 80% of the fee, with the state paying the remaining. The challenge was designed by Chicago-based Benesch.
A uncommon stretch of concrete-separated bike lanes
Within the subsequent two weeks, normal contractor Buckley & Firm will begin doing “in depth utility work” to maneuver or substitute many electrical and gasoline traces, in addition to water, fiber optic and different traces within the space, per PennDOT. That work had been anticipated to start out on Monday however the date was postponed.
As soon as the principle rehabilitation work begins, the superstructure over the Amtrak practice tracks and the Schuylkill Expressway, towards the western finish of the bridge, will likely be partially demolished and changed. On the adjoining central part, which crosses the river, deteriorated decking and sidewalks will likely be changed.
On the jap finish, the bridge over the Schuylkill River Path (SRT) and CSX rail tracks, which consists of 4 spans supported by concrete piers, will likely be absolutely changed with a single-span bridge and retaining partitions. The 2 easternmost spans, which as soon as accommodated further practice traces, will likely be crammed in.
The bridge will largely preserve its present format, with two automotive lanes in every route, turning lanes and extensive sidewalks.
“The bridge most likely isn’t going to look any completely different to most individuals, even all the way down to what the brick is and the mortar,” PennDOT development supervisor Chris Isaacson mentioned. “Simply in lots higher situation and lots newer.”
Nonetheless, a two-way bicycle lane with concrete separators will likely be added alongside the south facet of the street, and on its jap finish will join with the “bike services” at twenty third Avenue, PennDOT says. On the west finish, a bicycle sign will likely be put in at Market Avenue and Schuylkill Avenue.
(twenty third Avenue doesn’t have bike lanes, however Metropolis Council just lately handed laws to put in one between Market and Race streets, and biking advocates are calling for it to be prolonged south on twenty third to Walnut Avenue.)
The sidewalks will likely be widened on the jap bridge part, over the SRT and rail tracks, to match the principle river bridge part.
Repairs to Walnut and Chestnut bridges as nicely
Different modifications on the bridge will embody upgrades of site visitors alerts with Clever Transportation System enhancements, and the set up of recent freeway, bridge enhancement and navigation lighting programs.
The challenge will restore partitions that assist the Schuylkill River banks on either side from Market Avenue to south of Walnut Avenue, and repair a pedestrian staircase between the SRT and JFK Boulevard that has settled.
On the Walnut Avenue bridge, the street will likely be resurfaced between twenty second and thirty third streets, a parking-separated bike lane will likely be put in, and site visitors alerts will likely be modified.
On the Chestnut Avenue bridge, which PennDOT rehabilitated a number of years in the past, staff will full work on an arch over the CSX tracks, and a close-by part of the wall that helps the facet of the river will likely be repaired, officers mentioned.
Freeway and path closures deliberate
There will likely be a number of street closures, detours and momentary site visitors modifications for the challenge. The Market Avenue bridge will initially stay open day by day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., however will often be closed at night time for development.
All of the closures will likely be suspended from June 1 to August 7, 2026, through the interval when U.S. Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) celebrations, FIFA World Cup video games, an MLB All-Star Recreation and different actions are anticipated to attract tons of of hundreds of tourists to Philadelphia.
The primary, 14-month closure of the Market Avenue bridge to vehicles will happen after that interval, from August 2026 to October 2027. Pedestrians and cyclists will likely be inspired to make use of Chestnut, Walnut and different routes, however will nonetheless be capable to cross the river on Market Avenue.
“We are going to nonetheless preserve pedestrians, due to the practice station and the entire employers on the east, Middle Metropolis facet,” Schultes mentioned. These embody PECO and Aramark, which have workplace buildings close to the river.
The Schuylkill River Path will stay open underneath Market Avenue, however a piece of path underneath Chestnut Avenue will likely be closed for a interval to permit reconstruction of the river wall. Walkers and bicyclists who have to traverse that part must exit and reenter the path utilizing current entrances.
At sure occasions Schuylkill Avenue close to the Amtrak station can even be closed and site visitors will likely be detoured to permit for alternative of the western bridge part. On a number of weekends that haven’t been scheduled but, I-76 will likely be closed in each instructions between Arch and Walnut streets.
“After we’re really lifting sections off of the bridge and placing new sections in for the brand new bridge, we are able to’t have site visitors beneath on the expressway. That’s once we use the detours,” Schultes mentioned.
Amtrak doesn’t anticipate any impression on the station’s operations or its ongoing renovation challenge, a spokesperson for the rail operator mentioned.
Motorists driving southeast on I-76 will likely be detoured west on Market Avenue and south on thirty eighth and thirty fourth streets, and people heading northwest will likely be routed onto Grays Ferry Avenue, twenty second Avenue and I-676, in line with maps posted on the challenge web site, MarketStreetBridges.com.
Some development work on Walnut Avenue will occur on the similar time, however most will happen after Market Avenue reopens. A lane of westbound automotive site visitors and the bicycle lane will stay open on Walnut whereas work is underway.