Get ready for a smoother commute but not before construction along busy Lincoln Drive leads to some closures and detours.
Work on the road running through Fairmount Park, a stretch besieged by potholes, began late Monday night.
The project includes various roadway, pedestrian and traffic improvements to Lincoln Drive between Ridge and Wayne avenues.
Roads will be milled and resurfaced, the guide rail and median barrier will be replaced and overall drainage improvements will be made.
In addition, the retaining wall just north of Forbidden Drive will receive a new architectural finish and the Philadelphia Water Department will replace a storm water sewer at Harvey Street.
Traffic improvements to the area will include traffic signal mast arms and poles at multiple intersections.
Upgrades that impact pedestrians include an asphalt walking path that will extend north of Wissahickon Avenue between Lincoln Drive and Rittenhouse Street and ADA curb ramps at all intersections along the section of Lincoln Drive being restored.
The streets department is asking for drivers to be patient during the restoration project. Crews will need to work during the day and night, and traffic flow is expected to be impacted as follows:
- Travel lanes will remain open during morning and evening rush hours.
- Work taking place between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. should have minimal impact on morning rush traffic.
- Temporary single-lane closures north of Wissahickon Avenue may happen within the work area during the off-peak daytime hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Overnight work from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. will involve full roadway closures with signed detour routes in place.
The $12.1-million project — funded 80 percent by federal money and 20 percent by city money — is expected to be fully completed by the end of 2019.
Some local business owners, especially ones that deliver, are worried about the impact the project could have on them.
"I'm kind of glad that they are resurfacing it but it's going to impact our business for our delivery drivers," Toto's Pizza owner Giuseppe Afflisio told NBC10.
