What to Know
- Drivers who use I-95 in Philadelphia will need to find alternate routes Feb. 24 to Feb. 26, 2024.
- The closure of the southbound lanes will give crews the ability to work on the demolition of the viaduct and bridge overhead at Chestnut Street and park that are being replaced as part of the $329 million CAP project.
- The maps in this story show alternate routes for drivers to avoid the mess. Drivers "are advised to avoid the closure area because significant backups and delays will occur on I-95 and several surface streets in the vicinity of the work area," PennDOT said.
Editor's Note (Feb. 26, 2024: 6:05 a.m.): The construction was cleared before 2 a.m. as southbound lanes of I-95 in Philadelphia reopened earlier than expected.
Drivers beware! A busy stretch of Interstate 95 through the heart of Philadelphia is closed during this last weekend of February.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation made the announcement on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, in hopes of giving drivers plenty of time to plan for the upcoming closure of the southbound lanes.
As part of the $329 million CAP project to cover the interstate and connect Old City to Penn's Landing, PennDOT announced it is closing I-95 southbound between I-676/Callowhill Street (Exit 22) and the Morris Street on-ramp for 36 hours.
"Motorists are advised to avoid the closure area because significant backups and delays will occur on I-95 and several surface streets in the vicinity of the work area," PennDOT said.
Southbound lanes of I-95 in Philly to close for CAP project 🚧
The plan is to close southbound I-95 from Exit 22 to the Morris Street on-ramp at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, through around 5 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 26.
Ahead of the full closure, a single-lane closure was in effect from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday from I-676 to just below Walnut Street, PennDOT spokesman Brad Rudolph said at a Monday, Feb. 12, news conference.
This latest closure comes a few weeks after a similar stretch of roadway was closed in the northbound direction. The southbound lanes pose more of a challenge for construction crews due to the proximity to the nearby neighborhood, Rudolph said.
Typically, around 67,000 drivers use the stretch of I-95 on a Sunday, officials said. During the earlier northbound closure of I-95 around 70% of drivers used alternate routes, rather than a local detour route. PennDOT hopes to see similar results this time around.
Ramp closures
Besides the I-95 southbound closures, the Market Street ramp to southbound I-95 was closed on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 and will stay closed through at least Monday, March 11, PennDOT said. That ramp is being used to store debris and equipment ahead of and after the closure.
These ramps will be closed from 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, to 5 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 26:
- Ramp from I-95 south to Columbus Boulevard and Washington Avenue
- Ramp from I-676 east to I-95 south
The ramp from Lombard Circle to I-95 north, which closed in January, will remain closed.
I-95 northbound lane closure
The left lane along the stretch of northbound I-95 where the southbound lanes are to be closed will also be blocked to keep drivers safe from any debris, PennDOT said.
How can you get around the late February closure of southbound I-95?
The closure is straightforward, but the impacts go for miles and detours stem all the way into Delaware and New Jersey.
As was the case during the earlier northbound closure of I-95, PennDOT hopes that drivers use their GPS and map apps to get around the interstate closure. They can also plan ahead by using these alternate routes and avoid the detour:
"Several additional regional detours will also be in place that will advise motorists to use the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I-76, I-476, U.S. 1, the New Jersey Turnpike, I-295 and U.S. 130 to access I-95 South below the closure area," PennDOT said.
Expect to see digital signs on Philadelphia-area highways warning of the upcoming closure.
"Electronic message boards on I-76, I-95, I-276, I-476, and other regional transportation arteries in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey will be used to alert motorists about the closure and provide specific alternate routes," PennDOT said.
The local detour will take drivers who don't use the Schuylkill Expressway, I-295 or other major roads to get around the traffic mess onto local roads.
The Exit 22 ramp from I-95 to I-676 west and Callowhill Street will remain open during the roadwork, Rudolph said. All southbound I-95 drivers will be sent onto Callowhill Street to Columbus Boulevard. Car drivers can then get back onto I-95 at Morris Street, while truckers will need to access I-95 further down the road at Front Street off Oregon Avenue.
"Columbus Boulevard -- just like the northbound closure we did a couple weekends ago -- is the main local detour route around the southbound closure," Rudolph said.
Detoured drivers can also get off I-95 at Exit 23 to access the Aramingo Avenue ramp to Delaware Avenue to the Columbus Boulevard closure listed above.
Why are crews demolishing covers to CAP I-95?
PennDOT earlier closed I-95 northbound between Columbus Boulevard (Exit 20) and Interstate 676 (Exit 22) the night of Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. It remained closed until early Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. That project was completed safely, Rudolph said.
Time-lapse video released by PennDOT shows the 30 hours or so of work done during that closure.
Crews have been working to demolish the existing concrete covering over I-95 between Chestnut and Walnut streets. Earlier this year, the Chestnut Street Bridge over I-95 that connected Old City to Penn's Landing was closed so that it and the Chestnut Park viaduct could be demolished.
"The new Park will be an 11.5-acre civic space spanning I-95 and Columbus Boulevard between Chestnut and Walnut streets, extending from Front Street to the Delaware River," PennDOT said. "It will include amenities including gardens, play areas, flexible open space, a contemplative setting for the Irish and Scottish Memorials, and a mass-timber Pavilion."
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
