September 3, 2019 — Widening and bridge construction on the southbound (west) side of Aramingo Avenue in the vicinity of the Interstate 95/Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange are wrapped up in mid-summer, shifting construction briefly to the middle before beginning construction of improvements to the northbound (east) side by early fall.
The concrete deck and the decorative parapet wall is in place on the southbound side of Aramingo Avenue bridge over the Frankford Creek, substantially completing the current phase of bridge replacement while work wraps up on improvements on both sides of the new span.
Crews are working in early summer to finish widening Aramingo Avenue on both sides of the bridge from Church Street to Wheatsheaf Lane. Through mid-summer, workers will finish placing pavement and complete construction of new curbs and sidewalks that complement the widening and other improvements to the west side of Aramingo Avenue.
Aramingo Avenue is being widened to include four lanes between Wheatsheaf Lane and the new intersection with the under-construction Adams Avenue Connector. The widening expands to six lanes from Adams Avenue to Church Street to accommodate right and left turn lanes at Church Street, the ramps to I-95 and the bridge, and to the new intersection with Adams Avenue.
When work in the center of Aramingo Avenue finishes by early fall, construction will get underway on the northbound side, including construction of the east half of the new Frankford Creek bridge.
Aramingo Avenue will be two lanes northbound and southbound during the interim, center construction stage. Once work starts on the northbound side, northbound Aramingo Avenue will be two lanes wide on both sides of the bridge, but one lane on the bridge itself. Southbound traffic remains in two lanes through the work area for the remainder of the project.
Adams Avenue Connector
Construction of the new Adams Avenue Connector also continues through mid-2020. The new, half-mile long roadway between Torresdale Avenue and the interchange will connect to Aramingo Avenue at a new signalized intersection at the completion of work. It also will tie into the new and rebuilt ramps to and from I-95 and the Betsy Ross Bridge at that time.
The reconstructed Adams Avenue intersection with Torresdale Avenue is expected to re-open in late summer following installation of new traffic signals at the intersection, construction of new sidewalks on Tacony Street, and repaving Tacony Street from Adams Avenue to Church Street.
This summer, multiple ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) ramps will be installed at Torresdale Avenue intersections from East Hunting Park Avenue to Womrath Street. Also, new sidewalks will be constructed on the north side of Torresdale Avenue between Frankford Avenue and Womrath Street, and on the south side from Orchard Street to Womrath Street, and from Frankford Avenue to Worrell Street.
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.
Much of the multi-use trail that is being built adjacent to the Connector is in place. The trail will ultimately become part of the Frankford Creek Greenway when it opens at the completion of construction on the Connector in mid-2020.
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 (I-95/BSR).
