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PennDOT is beginning a $261 million project to repair the Girard Point Bridge on I-95 over the Schuylkill River. Work starts Jan. 12 and will take five years.
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Michael Tanenbaum
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Tag: penndot
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Girard Point Bridge to get $261 million in repairs over the next five years
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How PennDOT plans to install a 258-foot pedestrian bridge over Columbus Boulevard in one night
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“Basically, everybody goes to bed, they wake up in the morning and there’s a bridge there,” said Michael Altomari, assistant construction engineer at PennDOT
The bridge will not be open to pedestrians and cyclists for about another year after the arch is installed. Additional work will include constructing the approach spans, decking and railings. The bridge cables also will need to be adjusted to their proper tension, and lights and security cameras will be installed for visibility and safety.
![South Street Bridge Two]()
Provided Image/PennDOT
A rendering shows plans for the South Street Bridge Extension, a 258-foot span that will carry the city’s existing structure from the east side of Interstate 95 across Christopher Columbus Boulevard to the Delaware River waterfront at Lombard Circle.
![South Street Existing]()
StreetView/Google Maps
The existing South Street Pedestrian Bridge was constructed in the mid-1990s, creating a path over Interstate 95 with a staircase leading down to Columbus Boulevard. The extension will take the bridge across Columbus Boulevard.
Planners initially considered building the bridge across Columbus Boulevard using a temporary pier in the middle of the road to support ongoing work. That plan would have required traffic control, disruptions and the use of shielding to protect drivers below. The old train tracks from the defunct Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad, now owned by CSX, also would have posed challenges.
“This is the smart way to do it, I think,” Altomari said of the overnight method.
PennDOT spokesperson Brad Rudolph said the agency has a time-lapse camera pointed at the location around the clock and will be able to show the public how the arch was moved into place.
Drawing more foot traffic to the waterfront
PennDOT believes easy access to the waterfront from South Street will maximize the use of new amenities and limit reliance on cars to get to them. The bridge will be about a 10-minute walk north along Columbus Boulevard to get to the future Park at Penn’s Landing.
On the east side of the bridge, PennDOT plans to build a “corkscrew”-style circle that allows people on bikes and wheelchairs to ease off the span gradually. Trees and bushes will be planted in the area, which sits right up against the river.
![PennDOT Circle Bridge]()
Provided Image/PennDOT
The east side of the bridge extension will have a circular ‘corkscrew’ design with landscaping next to the waterfront.
The existing South Street Pedestrian Bridge, owned by the city and accessed via Front Street, also will be rehabilitated as part of the project. It will remain unchanged except for the removal of its aluminum “Stroll” sculptures, which will be displayed at another location to be determined. PennDOT will rebuild the parking lot at the site of the existing bridge and maintain the new section over Columbus Boulevard.
When the Park at Penn’s Landing opens, it will have an ice rink, public gardens, memorials, children’s play area, amphitheater, food trucks, cafe and a mass-timber pavilion. There also will be a number of open spaces for performances, festivals, fairs and other events.
![Park Penn's Landing]()
Provided Image/DRWC
A rendering shows an aerial view of the Park at Penn’s Landing that will open in 2030.
Bonito and Altomari are confident the I-95 cap project is on schedule for completion in 2029, followed by about a year to build out the park. PennDOT and its partners – including the Delaware River Waterfront Corp., the William Penn Foundation and the city — anticipate the park will bring new foot traffic to the length of the waterfront for a safer, more welcoming atmosphere.
“The development of that area is going to draw people, which will also draw developers,” Altomari said. “There’s a lot of piers down in that area, places that maybe have been in a little disrepair or not worth the investment to somebody. Now they might be.”
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Michael Tanenbaum
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Trump administration threatens Pa. over driver’s licenses ‘illegally’ issued to immigrant truckers
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The U.S. Department of Transportation said this week it would withhold $75 million in federal funding from Pennsylvania if the state does not meet demands to address how it issues commercial driver’s licenses to immigrants.
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Michael Tanenbaum
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Pa. crash deaths were near record lows in 2024, but speeding and drunk driving still account for most of them
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The number of people killed in car crashes fell to a near-record low in Pennsylvania last year, but speeding and alcohol remain the most common factors in fatal collisions across the state, according to data from PennDOT
The state’s annual report on vehicle crashes breaks down trends in road behavior and the circumstances that most often result in crashes. Pennsylvania had 110,765 reportable traffic crashes in 2024, resulting in 1,127 deaths. Total crashes increased by 383 compared with 2023 — causing a higher number of injuries — but there were 82 fewer deaths.
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Last year marked the second-lowest number of crash deaths in Pennsylvania since records were first kept in 1928. The record low was 1,059 fatalities in 2019. The state’s peak in traffic fatalities occurred in 1973, when 2,444 people were killed. The state recorded more than 2,000 traffic deaths every year from 1965 to 1981, but has only surpassed that mark once since then in 1987.
Among all fatal crashes last year, speeding was a factor in the deaths of 357 people — about 32% of all fatalities. Alcohol was involved in crashes that claimed 244 lives, making up about 22% of fatalities last year.
Alcohol-related deaths declined from 308 in 2023, but PennDOT noted such crashes were nearly 3 1/2 times more likely to result in deadly injuries than those unrelated to drinking.
About 72% of the fatal crashes involving alcohol last year were attributed to men driving under the influence. Nearly 75% of those who died were people driving drunk, and 90% of the fatalities involving alcohol occurred in vehicles driven by someone under the influence.
PennDOT said the state has seen an improvement in the number of crash deaths involving underage drinking. Among people between 16 and 20 years old, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 8% of driver deaths last year. That’s down from 10% in 2023 and 23% in 2022 among that age group.
Heavier traffic on the days surrounding major federal holidays contributed to a total of 13,103 crashes in Pennsylvania last year. There were 152 deaths during those periods, accounting for roughly 13% of total traffic deaths in 2024. The day before Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day accounted for the most crashes, but travel around Labor Day was tied to more deaths than any other holiday last year.
The report notes that 9% of all holiday crashes involved alcohol use last year, but 30% of traffic deaths during holiday weekends were alcohol-related.
Behind speeding, the most common causes of crashes in Pennsylvania last year were improper turns, distracted driving and violations of traffic laws at signals and other stops.
More than 46% of people killed in fatal crashes last year were not wearing seat belts, the report said.
PennDOT also noted a two-year trend of increasing crashes between cars and bicycles. There were 1,271 crashes last year, up from 810 in 2022 and 1,100 in 2023. The crashes last year resulted in the deaths of 19 cyclists, and 107 bicyclists were killed in crashes statewide from 2020 through 2024. Collisions between cars and pedestrians were down last year, falling to 3,035 from 3,199 in 2023. There were 174 pedestrians killed by cars in 2024 and a total of 872 pedestrians killed in crashes during the five-year period ending last year.
PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll called the decrease in traffic fatalities last year “good news,” but said the state must continue to invest in education and outreach to improve road safety.
“We will only get to zero fatalities when everyone works together,” Carroll said in a statement after the report was released earlier this year. “Please pay attention when you are driving, always follow the speed limit, and never drive impaired.”
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Michael Tanenbaum
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I-95 closures as PennDOT continues work on Penn’s Landing CAP project
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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Drivers in Philadelphia should prepare for another weekend closure on Interstate 95 South as PennDOT continues work on the construction project near Penn’s Landing.
This will be the second highway closure associated with Philadelphia’s CAP project.
I-95 South closure timing
All lanes of I-95 southbound will be shut down between 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 and 5 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 26. between Exit 22 (I-676/Callowhill St.) and the Morris Street on-ramp.
PennDOT says drivers will be directed to follow the posted alternate routes that include using the Girard Avenue Interchange (Exit 23) or the Callowhill Street Interchange (Exit 22) to access southbound Columbus Boulevard and the on-ramp to I-95 South at Morris Street.
Truck traffic will be directed to continue south on Columbus Boulevard and use Oregon Avenue and Front Street to access the on-ramp to I-95 South.
Drivers should also be aware that, ahead of the full closure, a single lane of I-95 South will be closed between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 24. between Exit 22 (I-676/Callowhill St.) and just below Walnut St.
Throughout the full southbound closure, the left lane of I-95 North will also be closed between Walnut Street and Chestnut Street.
PennDOT also wants drivers to be aware of the following ramp closures during the full I-95 South closure:
-The I-95 South ramp to Columbus Blvd./Washington Ave.
-The I-676 East ramp to I-95 South
PennDOT also announced that the Market Street ramp to I-95 South will be closed from Feb. 19 to March 11.
Officials noted that the Lombard Circle ramp to I-95 North, which is currently shut down, will remain closed through the I-95 South closure.
If the work in the southbound lanes isn’t done by 5 a.m. on Feb. 26, another closure may have to be planned.
Construction continues on I-95 CAP project
The weekend closure will be similar to what drivers experienced when the northbound lanes were closed a few weeks ago, but crews say this process is trickier for them to tackle.
The work done during the northbound closure earlier this month was completed in about 30 hours. However, PennDOT officials say the southbound side could be trickier because after the demolition happens, there isn’t any space on the southbound side to move the debris.
“We basically have to take all the material from the Market Street ramp, over Market Street, to that parking lot area. It’s a lot less efficient than we had before – this is the tougher section. Northbound went well, but that was the easy one. This is a lot more involved, a lot more challenged,” said Harold Windisch of PennDOT.
RELATED: New renderings, timeline released for Park at Penn’s Landing
New renderings, timeline released for Park at Penn’s Landing
PennDOT says these weekend closures accelerate the demolition process on I-95 by about 4-5 months. The goal of the $329 million plan is to replace and expand the existing covered area over I-95 between Chestnut and Walnut streets with a park that is nearly 12 acres. It is expected to be completed in 2028.
However, to accommodate demolition work, a stretch of I-95 north was closed during the first weekend in February.
PennDOT says shifting to the southbound side brings new challenges.
On Sunday is when crews expect the biggest issues for drivers. PennDOT says it sees around 67,000 cars on a typical Sunday right through the section of construction, so they are asking people to plan ahead – especially with a Sixers game that Sunday afternoon.
“We’re very limited on weekends. This is one that we coordinated with everybody and thought we could give it a shot. Everyone seems to be on board, so we’re going to give it a go,” said Brad Rudolph, deputy communications director for PennDOT.
PennDOT is asking people to use GPS if they’re planning to be in the area this weekend.
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Katie Katro
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