New curbs, sidewalks, utilities, and trolley tracks in Port Richmond
January 16, 2020 – Roadway and sidewalk construction on Richmond Street has been completed between Ann and Westmoreland Streets in Port Richmond, and work on several additional improvements along the corridor will continue through early 2020 as PennDOT nears completion of the $32 million project that began in early 2018 with installation of new and upgraded utilities along the project corridor.
Richmond Street is expected to be reopened to northbound and southbound motorists by late winter.
Contractors have finished reconstructing the roadway, installing new trolley rail lines, building new sidewalks, curbs, ADA curb ramps, and installing new traffic signals, street lights, and catenary poles for SEPTA trolleys. Installation of overhead catenary wires and underground power for the trolleys will continue through next spring.
Construction continues at SEPTA’s Westmoreland Loop terminal, which also is being rebuilt under the AF1 contract. A new brick perimeter wall is in place along Emery Street, and new platforms for loading and unloading passengers have been built at the terminal. Placement of the final segments of trolley rails will be completed at the terminal over the coming months.
SEPTA will then finish a number of tasks before reopening the terminal. (Check with SEPTA — www.septa.org, (215) 580-7800 — for more details.)
PennDOT will finish planting an estimated 60 new trees along the Richmond Street project area next spring.
Richmond Street construction began in early 2018 with utility installations and relocations in the project area. Over the course of that first year of construction, new gas and water mains were installed and connected to the properties along the Richmond Street corridor, and numerous other utility lines and wires have been relocated to accommodate the improvements.
Then in early 2019, crews returned to the southern end of the project and began the next major stage of the project. First, new sidewalks and curbs were built, then the other edges of Richmond Street were constructed. By about mid-year, yet another crew returned to the southern end of the work area and began installing two sets of new trolley rails as part of the reconstruction of the middle section of the roadway under the final major stage of the project.
An additional residential parking area for Richmond Street residents was also installed and is now available on reconstructed Melvale Street, which runs parallel to Richmond Street adjacent to I-95 between Clearfield Avenue and Wishart Street.
Richmond Street improvements, Section AF1, are being completed as the first part of PennDOT’s overall project to reconstruct I-95 at the Allegheny Avenue interchange and improve traffic flow on surface streets in the area of the interchange.
AF1 construction will be followed by a second surface street project, AF2, that will improve sections of Delaware Avenue, Allegheny Avenue, and Castor Avenue beginning in 2021.
