The Triangle

Issue date: 2/24/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Mat Boyle In spring 2007, the South Street Bridge will be demolished, and a new bridge will be built in its place. In the absence of this bridge, the Walnut Street Bridge will have increased traffic. The Walnut Street Bridge spans toward the east side Feb. 23, above. The South Street Bridge stretches across the Schuylkill River Feb. 23, below.

The South Street Bridge will be demolished and reconstructed beginning in April 2007 and will be closed for approximately 18 months.

This project for the old drawbridge spanning over I-76 and the Schuylkill River, is slated to cost $38 million dollars and will greatly affect commuters of University City, specifically those at the University of Pennsylvania. Lori Klein Brennan, senior director for marketing and communications for University City District, said that UPenn will be impacted greatly because of their close proximity to the bridge. According to The Daily Pennsylvanian, UPenn's major focus throughout the construction will be to maintain accessibility to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Regardless of the numerous inconveniences the construction may generate, the repair of the bridge is an important and well over-due project.

"But it's short-term inconvenience for long-term improvement," Penn Associate Director of City and Commonwealth Relations Dawn Maglicco told The Daily Pennsylvanian.

The deterioration of the bridge has recently caused problems for commuters and city engineers, who are concerned about its safety. Two years ago, concrete from the bridge fell onto the highway below, causing a temporary shutdown of traffic allowed to pass underneath it. In January, the bridge deterioration caused another disruption when a steel plate fell into the Schuylkill River, and the expressway was subsequently closed. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia's Streets Commissioner Clarena Tolson said that the bridge remained stable and only its non-structural concrete was weakening. She stressed that officials were performing weekly checkups on the bridge, and to quell the fears of residents and commuters, officials are considering placing netting underneath the bridge to catch any falling debris.

Several improvements will be made to the bridge, and according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, City Council members also discussed a possible change in the access ramps connecting the bridge to the expressway. Currently, the access ramp merges onto I-76 in the left lane of traffic. In addition, the new bridge will have a smoother grade, since it will no longer retain remnants of its former role as a drawbridge.

The bridge is 83 years old and was paved and converted from a drawbridge in 1956.

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