Latest news with #BradRudolph
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
I-95 Cap Project: Southbound lane closures begin Tuesday night
The Brief A "milestone" for the I-95 Cap Project connecting Old City to Penn's Landing begins Tuesday night. Southbound lanes will be closed nightly 11PM-5AM Sunday-Thursday nights until July as workers install steel beams. The $329 million project is expected to be completed in 2028-2029. PHILADELPHIA - A major PennDot traffic detour is scheduled to begin, and it will continue well into the summer. What we know On Tuesday night, crews started preparation work on the next phase of the year-long I-95 Cap Project. The southbound lanes of I-95 will close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday morning. However, starting June 8, overnight closures will begin every Sunday to Thursday through late July while workers install 80 steel beams across the highway. "Basically, 95 South is going to be closed from 676 all the way down to the onramp to Morris Street where it hits Water Street. So, the work zone is small but the impact is large" said PennDot spokesperson Brad Rudolph. It is a major milestone in the $329 million project that's been talked about for years. What they're saying Jorin Gerveni, the owner of Cuor di Caffe coffee shop, not only sees the constant parade of construction equipment outside his front door. He welcomes it. The I-95 Cap Project is the reason he set up shop here. "I saw this as a great long-term project and sign early and grow my brand so when the project eventually does get done it will be a huge opportunity." The next phase in the construction is a big step in that long-awaited project. "We are starting to build up. It is a milestone. There is a light at the end of the tunnel" said Rudolph. The project will eventually connect Old City to the Delaware River, featuring an 11-and-a-half-acre "Park at Penn's Landing" that will stretch between Front, Walnut and Chestnut Streets to the River. A new South Street pedestrian bridge over the highway is also under construction. But completion of the entire project is still years away and much of Penns Landing will look like a construction site for the foreseeable future. Completion of the entire project is expected by 2029. In the meantime, Old City homeowners and commuters say the constant noise and detours have become a regular part of life. "I try to avoid going this way as much as possible. And it's been over a year I tried to avoid this" said Anita Evermon of South Philadelphia. From his coffee shop window, Gerveni watched a PennDot truck begin the next phase of construction. He says, despite the dust and detours, there is optimism about what's ahead. "I'm here for the next decade so I'm not moving" said Gerveni. What's next PennDot says once the beams are installed on the southbound lanes of I-95, work will begin to construct concrete piers for beam installation atop Northbound lanes. Beam installation on the northbound lanes is expected to begin next spring. The entire project is not expected to be finished until 2029. What you can do Visit the Penns Landing website for more.
Axios
02-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Federal funding in jeopardy for Philly's Chinatown Stitch project
The massive infrastructure project reconnecting Philadelphia's Chinatown is at risk of losing federal funding, which community leaders say could derail the yearslong effort. Why it matters: Chinatown has fought for decades to stitch its neighborhood back together after it was divided by the construction of the Vine Street Expressway. Driving the news: The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week proposed cutting "unobligated" funding from dozens of infrastructure projects nationwide, including the Chinatown Stitch. The proposal would slash about $3.1 billion from the projects to reconnect communities divided by transportation infrastructure, per an analysis from nonpartisan advocacy group Transportation for America. What they're saying: Councilmember Mark Squilla tells Axios there's no contingency plan right now if the federal government strips the funding, but city officials will be "putting our heads together" in the coming weeks. "We are at the mercy of the federal government at this point," he says. "We have to go to the drawing board to see what other possibilities there are." Catch up quick: Philadelphia announced last year that it had received a $159 million federal grant to cap I-676, replacing unsightly overpasses with new green space and improving safety for residents crossing the highway. The project is in the public involvement phase, and the city is holding pop-up meetings to get community input before releasing its final design proposal. By the numbers: It's unclear how much Philadelphia has spent on the project so far. A spokesperson for the city's Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment. PennDOT, a principal partner on the project, is shouldering most of the costs for the Chinatown Stitch, with the city expected to receive about $6.3 million in federal reimbursements, agency spokesperson Brad Rudolph tells Axios. PennDOT had already committed $10.2 million to the project's initial study and preliminary design, Rudolph says. How it works: The city and state spend money upfront on the project and then submit invoices for reimbursement to the federal agency overseeing the grant. John Chin of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp., a partner on the project, tells Axios the possibility of losing federal funding is unsettling for a community trying to heal and spur economic regrowth. "All of this is very alarming," he says. "There's these events that are outside our control that have been thrust upon Chinatown. It reduces our ability to be successful." U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle tells Axios he "fought like hell" to help secure the federal funding for the city. "It is shameful the Trump administration is threatening to rip this historic opportunity away from our city," the Democrat says.
