Soon, the Bridge Street and Harbison Avenue exit on the northbound side of I-95 will be no more.
Come April, PennDOT will permanently shutter the ramp as part of the $267.9 million I-95 Section BS2 reconstruction project.
On Tuesday, PennDOT spokesperson, Brad Rudolph, said the closure will allow the roadway to be widened for a six-lane traffic pattern approaching the I-95 viaduct over Bridge and Tacony streets.
PennDOT said that this project will reconstruct I-95 between Margaret Street and Carver Street, replace the bridges over Fraley Street and Carver Street, relocate the James Street off-ramp, and construct a new on-ramp to I-95 north from Tacony Street and the Delaware Avenue extension.
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Traffic normally using the northbound off-ramp, PennDOT said, will be diverted to the adjacent Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange ramp to Aramingo Avenue.
Rudolph said this is expected to happen "on or after April 18."
Closing the northbound off-ramp at Bridge Street, PennDOT said, is "expected to improve safety and mobility at the currently congested merge point between the ramp and surface streets at the existing Bridge Street Interchange."
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According to PennDOT, the new traffic pattern would be in place for three-years to allow for a new work zone that will extend through the interchange during construction beginning in early 2024 to "replace the viaduct and rebuild the interchange."
This part of the overall Revive 95 Project is expected to be completed in late 2026.
For a full look at the work that will close the Bridge Street and Harbison Avenue exit, and the ongoing work along I-95, visit the website PennDOT has set up for the project.
