July 2018 – The base pavement is in place for most of the Adams Avenue Connector between Ashland Street (near Tacony Street) to the new intersection with Aramingo Avenue (below), where construction of the west side of the new bridge over Frankford Creek continues. All work is part of the first phase of surface street improvements to maximize traffic flow between the Interstate 95 Bridge Street and adjacent Betsy Ross Bridge interchanges.
With curbing and pavement in place on the eastern segment of the Connector project (Section H04 of the overall I-95 reconstruction), work this summer is now focused on improvements to the 900-foot long section of Adams Avenue between Torresdale Avenue and Ashland Street. Adams Avenue is closed between Torresdale Avenue and Tacony Street until spring 2019 for this construction.
During this closure, crews will complete construction of new Adams Avenue intersections with Torresdale Avenue and with Tacony Street; rebuild Adams Avenue where it passes under the Amtrak overpass just east of Torresdale Avenue; and build a new sidewalk along the west side that connects with the Frankford Creek Greenway. A 12-foot wide segment of this multi-use trail is under construction along the west side of the Connector.
Crews last fall 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 building a 2,200 foot extension of Adams Avenue — the Connector — that winds between a new intersection with Tacony Street and Aramingo Avenue. Along the way the Connector (left) will tie in to the new ramps to and from Interstate 95 and the Betsy Ross Bridge on the west side of Aramingo Avenue.
Work on the extension of Adams Avenue is being coordinated with construction underway to widen and improve Aramingo Avenue between Church Street and Wheatsheaf Lane (Section BS4).
Aramingo Avenue Improvements
Construction of the western half of the Aramingo Avenue bridge over the Frankford Creek continues. 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.
Initial construction to build the new bridge’s north and south abutment walls this summer will be followed by installation of deck beams and deck and parapet construction later this year. The southbound side of Aramingo Avenue also is being widened and reconstructed on both sides of the bridge during this construction stage.
Construction will flip to the east (northbound) side of the bridge, along with widening of northbound Aramingo Avenue, in spring 2019.
Aramingo Avenue is being widened to include four lanes between Wheatsheaf Lane and Adams Avenue and six lanes from Adams Avenue to Church Street, with turn lanes to Church Street, the ramps to I-95 and the bridge, and to Adams Avenue.
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.
