King of Prussia, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Engineering District 6 team is wrapping up its 2023 construction season that included 59 new contracts worth an estimated $602 million to improve travel and safety on state highways and bridges across Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.
"We continue to invest heavily in our region's transportation infrastructure with more than 130 projects under construction right now valued at $2.5 billion," District 6 Executive Louis Belmonte said. "It's critical we move these transportation projects forward to enhance, reinforce and maintain our extensive and robust network."
From January through November, 94 bridges were repaired, replaced, or preserved by PennDOT or industry forces, and 508 miles of roadway were improved by department or partner crews, which included 391 miles of paving across the five-county Philadelphia region. District 6 also completed 39 projects totaling $289.9 million in the same time period.
Statewide from January through November, PennDOT improved 6,531 roadway miles, including 2,237 miles of paving. The miles improved has already surpassed the 2022 total of 6,414 miles improved. Through November this year, 587 state and locally owned bridges were put out for bid to be repaired, replaced, or preserved by PennDOT or industry forces. Additionally, 453 construction contracts for highway, bridge, and other improvement projects were completed statewide through PennDOT's private-sector partners so far this year.
Many of the projects in 2023 are supported and accelerated by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). In 2023 alone, the BIL brought in at least $115 million in additional funding to the District 6 region to be allocated by the department and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), for projects in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.
Some of the most notable projects that began construction this year included:
Philadelphia
- I-95 Section CAP ($329 million): Replace and expand the existing covered area over I-95 between Chestnut and Walnut streets with a larger cover that extends east over Christopher Columbus Boulevard at Penn's Landing. The South Street Pedestrian Bridge over I-95 also will be extended over Columbus Boulevard with a new "tied-arch" bridge.
- I-76 Section IMP ($36.8 million): Perform pavement and bridge preservation on I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) between U.S. 1 South (City Avenue) and I-676 (Vine Street Expressway).
Bucks County
Chester County
- U.S. 1 Section H02 ($10.4 million): Widen and improve a 1.3-mile section of U.S. 1 (Baltimore Pike) from the Kennett Oxford Bypass to Greenwood Road in Kennett and East Marlborough townships.
- Boot Road over Amtrak Bridge Replacement (13.3 million): Replace the Boot Road bridge over Amtrak in East Caln Township.
Delaware County
- Route 420 Bridge Replacements ($35.8 million): Replace the northbound and southbound bridges that carry Route 420 (Wanamaker Avenue) over Darby Creek in Prospect Park Borough and Tinicum Township.
- I-476 Section IMP ($63.7 million): Perform pavement and bridge preservation on I-476 between I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) in West Conshohocken Borough, Montgomery County, and I-95 in Ridley Township, Delaware County.
Montgomery County
- U.S. 422 Section M1B ($83.6 million): Reconstruct and improve U.S. 422 between Keim Street and Route 724 in Lower Pottsgrove Township.
Some of the most notable projects that were completed or substantially completed this year included:
Philadelphia
- U.S. 1 Section WAV ($97.1 million): Rehabilitated the 2,589-foot long U.S. 1/Roosevelt Expressway viaduct between the Broad Street and Wissahickon Avenue/Germantown Avenue exits in the Nicetown section of Philadelphia.
- I-95 Section BR2 ($96.5 million): Replaced and improved four ramp structures at the Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange.
- I-95 Section BS1 ($81 million): Reconstructed and improved I-95 at the northern end of the Bridge Street Interchange and replace two bridges carrying the interstate over Van Kirk Street and Comly Street.
- West Coulter Street Bridge Replacement ($3.7 million): Replaced the West Coulter Street bridge superstructure over SEPTA's Chestnut Hill West line.
Bucks County
- Route 309 Section PM1 ($56.3 million): Restored and repaired pavement and bridges on a 9.1-mile section of Route 309 (Sellersville Bypass) across various municipalities.
- County Line Road Improvements ($11.2 million): Rebuilt and improve a 3.1-mile section of County Line Road in Warrington and Horsham townships.
- Worthington Mill Road Bridge Replacement ($4.5 million): Replaced the Worthington Mill Road bridge over Neshaminy Creek in Wrightstown and Northampton townships.
Chester County
- Route 372 Bridge Replacement ($3 million): Replaced the bridge that carries Route 372 (Lower Valley Road) over Officers Run in Atglen Borough and West Sadsbury Township.
Delaware County
- I-95 Section PM5 ($80.6 million): Restored and repaired pavement and bridges on more than 11 miles of I-95 across various municipalities.
Montgomery County
- U.S. 202 Section 65S ($44.1 million): Widened and reconstructed nearly three miles of U.S. 202 from south of Morris Road to Hancock Road in Whitpain and Lower Gwynedd townships.
- Old Skippack Road Roundabout ($1.6 million): Constructed a roundabout to improve travel and safety at the intersection of Old Skippack Road and Schwenksville Road/Shelly Road in Upper Salford Township.
In 2023, District 6's efforts were also dedicated to the permanent reconstruction of I-95 in northeast Philadelphia after a fire on June 11 caused the roadway to collapse. Governor Josh Shapiro and PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll led a coordinated state, local, and federal response to reopen the roadway to six lanes of traffic on June 23, just 12 days after the initial fire and collapse.
In November, PennDOT reached a major milestone in the I-95 reconstruction project by shifting traffic from the temporary roadway onto the newly completed outer travel lanes on the new permanent bridge, while work on the center section of the bridge continues into 2024.
For a complete list of construction projects impacting state-owned highways in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, visit the District 6 Traffic Bulletin.
Information about infrastructure in District 6, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D6Results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
PennDOT District 6 is hiring for a variety of positions, including CDL operators, mechanics, highway maintenance workers, civil engineers, construction inspectors, and transportation technicians. Apply online at www.employment.pa.gov.
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Contact: Brad Rudolph, bradrudolph@pa.gov
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