Winter 2020-21 – Reconstruction is underway on the ramps from the Betsy Ross Bridge to northbound and southbound Interstate 95 and from northbound I-95 to the bridge under the first major stage of construction on PennDOT’s $93 million Section BR2 contract. Section BR2 is the second ramp replacement contract at the interchange and part of PennDOT’s larger initiative to rebuild the section of I-95 between Bridge Street and the Frankford Creek.
The ramp from northbound I-95 to the bridge is being rebuilt a half-at-a-time and remains open to traffic. Current construction on the replacement ramp is focused on building foundations for the southern half of the ramp bridge over the Frankford Creek. Once the foundations are in place, crews will build the structure’s abutment walls over the winter as conditions permit. The ramp bridge’s structural components will then be placed in the spring. When completed next summer, ramp traffic will be moved onto the replacement half-bridge for construction of the northern half of the new structure.
Demolition of the superstructures and support piers for the ramps from the bridge to northbound and southbound I-95 will finish over the winter. As demolition continues, ground-level crews will build support piers for the new structures. As the piers are completed, placement of new deck beams and construction of the ramp’s decks will get underway.
These ramps will remain closed during construction that is scheduled to be completed by fall 2021. Westbound bridge traffic heading for I-95 is being detoured to the ramps at Aramingo Avenue.
The ramp from Aramingo Avenue to southbound I-95 will be closed for about 10 months for replacement in late 2021 as well.
The first ramp replacement contract, Section BR0, was completed in 2017. Additionally, ramps from the bridge and from Aramingo Avenue to northbound I-95 will be rebuilt under the Section BR3 project scheduled to begin in 2023. At the conclusion of BR3, the entire I-95/Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange will have been rebuilt to meet current and future traffic needs through 2050 and beyond.
When BR2 construction finishes in mid-2022, the ramps will be tied into improvements nearing completion along Aramingo Avenue and Adams Avenue. Two additional contracts, Sections BR4 and BR5 will reconstruct almost a mile of I-95’s mainline between the Betsy Ross Bridge and Bridge Street interchanges.
