October 2018 – Widening and bridge construction continue on the southbound (west) side of Aramingo Avenue along with construction on the Adams Avenue Connector, two surface street improvement projects underway simultaneously and designed to more efficiently move traffic to and from Interstate 95, the Betsy Ross Bridge and the communities to the west of the busy interstate.
As improvements take shape at the western end of the Connector, crews are widening the southbound (west) side of Aramingo Avenue between Church Street and Wheatsheaf Lane and building a new, wider bridge over the Frankford Creek.
Crews this fall will complete installation of the widened roadway’s drainage system and place the base paving course in areas where drainage and other sub-surface work is completed.
Construction of abutment walls continues on the banks of the Frankford Creed for the western (southbound) half of the Aramingo Avenue bridge over the Creek. Placement of bridge deck beams and deck construction are expected to begin later this fall. The bridge is being built a half-at-a-time in order to maintain traffic flow on Aramingo Avenue, with one lane northbound and two lanes southbound through the work area.
Southbound Aramingo Avenue widening, and construction of the southbound half of the Frankford Creek Bridge are expected to be completed next spring. Work activities will then flip to the east (northbound) side of the bridge and roadway.
Aramingo Avenue is being widened to include four lanes between Wheatsheaf Lane and Adams Avenue and six lanes from Adams Avenue to Church Street. Turn lanes also will be added at Church Street, the ramps to I-95 and the bridge, and to the new intersection with Adams Avenue.
Adams Avenue Connector
In related construction, work continues on new Adams Avenue intersections with Torresdale Avenue and Tacony Street at the western end of the new Adams Avenue Connector. The new, half-mile long Connector will connect motorists on Torresdale Avenue and points west with Aramingo Avenue and the new and rebuilt ramps to I-95 and the Betsy Ross Bridge.
With the base pavement now in place for much of the Connector, crews in early summer closed Adams Avenue east of Torresdale Avenue to complete the new intersections. The closure also will allow crews to construct sidewalks along Adams Avenue from Torresdale Avenue to the multi-use trail that is being built adjacent to the Connector. The trail will ultimately become part of the Frankford Creek Greenway.
Crews in 2017 finished installation of new water mains along Torresdale Avenue between Frankford Avenue and Adams Avenue as part of the Adams Avenue Connector improvements. New sidewalks and curb will be constructed along the west side of Torresdale Avenue during one of the final stages of the project in 2019.
PennDOT is reconstructing, extending and improving both Adams Avenue and Aramingo Avenue to improve connections between the I-95 interchanges at Bridge Street and the Betsy Ross Bridge. The work is being done under an $81 million contract to jointly improve both roads.
A second contract to improve Aramingo Avenue between Church Street and Tacony Street will be built during the later stages of the Bridge Street Interchange Improvement Project.
