Philadelphia

Stage 1 of $40M Viaduct Repair Project Bringing More Lane Closures to Busy Stretches of Schuylkill Expressway

Lane closures are part of the plan as 2 stretches of deteriorated viaduct are replaced along I-76.

What to Know

  • A 6,120-foot-long stretch of Schuylkill Expressway viaduct in Philadelphia and a 345-foot-long viaduct in Montco need to be rehabilitated.
  • Starting April 22, locations between the Montgomery Drive and Interstate 476 interchanges will experience single lane closures.
  • The total $39.8-million repair project will be done in four phases with an end date late in 2020.

A nearly $40-million project to repair deteriorated bridge spans along the busy Schuylkill Expressway is underway and could affect your drive well into next year.

Interstate 76 drivers will encounter single-lane closures in both directions at various locations between the Montgomery Drive and Interstate 476 interchanges in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties. The first phase of the project starts Monday, April 22, and is expected to last through July.

PennDOT hopes to complete the second stage of eastbound reconstruction of the 289-span viaduct by the end of the year.

Initial construction of the viaducts, or bridges, started April 4 with temporary lane closures to a more than 1-mile stretch of I-76 in Philadelphia.

The project will take place in four phases over two years and will require single-lane, or even full-lane, closures, as well as weekend closures, PennDOT said.

Repairs will start at the 6,120-foot-long stretch of I-76 along the Schuylkill River from the Arch Street rail bridge to University Avenue in Philadelphia and will move to a 345-foot long structure over Route 23 and Arrowmink Creek in West Conshohocken, Montgomery County, officials said.

“Pennsylvania’s ongoing bridge inspection program has been closely monitoring these heavily-used, 60-plus year-old structures to ensure that they continue to function as designed,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said.

“Their analysis of the hundreds of structural components that comprise each viaduct points to the need to address the inevitable deterioration now so as to safely handle the demands of tens of thousands of motorists who use the Schuylkill Expressway each day.”

The following route will be affected:

  • April 22, through April 25, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning: Locations between the Montgomery Drive and Interstate 476 interchanges in Philadelphia and Montgomery countiessingle will have single lane closures in both directions.
  • April 23, through April 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Shoulder closures will also be in place on the I-76 East ramp to U.S. 1 North (Roosevelt Expressway) and U.S. 1 South ramp to I-76 West.

Closures in Montgomery County won’t start until May at the earliest and be completed in November, officials said. 

As contruction moves from Philly to the King of Prussia area, there will be more extensive lanes closures, including periods where the road will be closed entirely at night.

Check below for a complete time of repairs:

Per PennDOT:

During repairs to the Center City structure, one side of the expressway at a time will be reduced to a single lane or closed completely overnight. In addition, one side of the expressway at a time will be reduced to a single lane during weekend daytime hours a minimum of 10 times eastbound (in 2019) and 10 times westbound (2020) on non-holiday and select weekends.

Allowable times for these restrictions on I-76 are as follows:

  • Weekday Nighttime Single Lane Closures Eastbound or Westbound: Monday nights through Friday mornings: 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
  • Weekday Nighttime Full Closures Eastbound or Westbound: Monday nights through Friday mornings: 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
  • Weekend Nighttime Single Lane Closures Eastbound or Westbound: Friday nights through Sunday mornings: 9 p.m. to 10 a.m. and Sunday nights through Monday mornings: 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
  • Weekend Daytime Single Lane Closures Eastbound*: Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. to Saturday nights at 10 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. to Sunday nights at 9 p.m.
  • Weekend Nighttime Full Closures Eastbound**: Friday nights at 11 p.m. through Saturday mornings at 10 a.m., Saturday nights at 10 p.m. through Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. and Sunday nights at 9 p.m. through Monday mornings at 5 a.m.
  • Weekend Daytime Single Lane Closures Westbound*: Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. to Saturday nights at 10 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. to Sunday nights at 11 p.m.
  • Weekend Nighttime Full Closures Westbound**: Friday nights at 11 p.m. through Saturday mornings at 10 a.m., Saturday nights at 10 p.m. through Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. and Sunday nights at 11 p.m. through Monday mornings at 5 a.m.

* Maximum allowable weekend daytime single lane closures is 10 times eastbound and 10 times westbound.

** Anticipated weekend overnight full closures is 10 times eastbound and 10 times westbound.

Overnight right lane and shoulder closures also may occur on the westbound side throughout 2019 and 2020 for construction activities to repair support columns on the underside of the viaduct.

In addition, on- and off-ramps within the Center City work zone will be closed and detoured in coordination with the scheduled lane restrictions and full closures. Ramps that will be impacted include:

  • University Avenue/Exit 346B Westbound On Ramp
  • University Avenue/Exit 346B Eastbound Off Ramp
  • South Street/Exit 346 Eastbound On Ramp
  • South Street/Exit 346A Westbound On Ramp
  • South Street/Exit 346A Westbound Off Ramp
  • South Street/Exit 346A Eastbound Off Ramp
  • Walnut Street/Exit 345 Eastbound On Ramp
  • I-676/Vine Street Expressway/Exit 344 Westbound Off Ramp

NBC10 will continue to monitor the viaduct reconstruction project through the end of 2020.

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