January 27, 2026 – Reconstruction and widening of southbound Interstate 95 at the Bridge Street Interchange, including construction of the new southbound viaduct over Bridge and Tacony streets (see below), will finish by early spring, completing the first major stage of PennDOT’s $268 million I-95/BS2 project to reconstruct and widen I-95 in both directions between Margaret Street and Carver Street in Northeast Philadelphia.
Crews over the winter will finish building four lanes of new southbound pavement on both sides of the new viaduct. Four new retaining walls are in place to support embankments that carry the southbound lanes through the interchange and along the new off-ramp at James Street. The new ramp replaces the southbound ramp that was closed last summer.
Half of the new underpass that will bring the new off-ramp to the new interchange under construction along Tacony Street on the north side of I-95 between Fraley and Van Kirk streets is in place.
The new Bridge Street Interchange also includes a northbound on-ramp and construction of a section of the Delaware Avenue Extension. (The Extension will eventually connect with Delaware Avenue from its current terminus along the river near Buckius Street. The bulk of the extension will be built under Section BS5 that is tentatively slated for construction beginning in 2027.)
New stormwater drainage systems have been installed in advance of construction of sections of the new southbound pavement and the new southbound off-ramp.
When work on the southbound side finishes, the contractor will shift three lanes of traffic onto the southbound side and move its operations to the median area for several months to prepare the new traffic pattern. By mid-2026, northbound traffic will be shifted to the median and northbound reconstruction will get underway.
Work on BS2 will be coordinated with northbound reconstruction at the Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange (Section BR3) immediately to the south.
During construction, traffic previously exiting southbound I-95 at Bridge Street is detoured to the Aramingo Avenue exit at the Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange, then north on Aramingo Avenue back to Bridge Street.
Section BS2, the second of five contracts to reconstruct Interstate 95 and improve the Bridge Street Interchange, is expected to be completed in 2028. PennDOT completed Section BS1 reconstruction to rebuild and widen I-95 between Levick and Carver streets in early 2023.
During all upcoming Section BS2 work, three travel lanes in each direction will remain open during peak travel times, though periodic off-peak lane closures may be in place on I-95 during certain stages of construction.
James J. Anderson Construction of Philadelphia is the general contractor on Section BS2.
