April 12, 2023 – Construction continues this spring on the new Cottman on-ramp to southbound Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia. Significant progress has been made in preparation for the construction of the ramp. Work includes constructing a new major sanitary sewer line along with ongoing surface street improvements at the Interstate 95 Cottman Avenue Interchange under PennDOT’s $52.7 million I-95/CP3 project.
Workers this winter completed the installation of the new precast concrete 10’x10’ sewer main adjacent to southbound I-95 and east of State Road, between Cottman and Princeton avenues. Currently, work continues on connecting the new bypass main to the existing main between Cottman and Princeton avenues. It is expected that the new bypass main will be in service by the end of spring.
Following the sewer main installation, the contractor will begin to construct the new on-ramp to I-95. This work will include surcharging (placing fill and letting it compact under its own weight) the existing ground the ramp will be built on and the construction of a retaining wall along Wissinoming Street. The wall will help support the new ramp which is anticipated to be completed by the end of this year.
Once the new ramp is in place, Wissinoming Street will be rebuilt as a functioning city street running along southbound I-95 between Cottman and Princeton avenues.
Utility installation and roadway construction continue on Elbridge Street and Levick Street in the vicinity of the Tacony Palmyra Bridge. Traffic has been shifted to the reconstructed roadway while crews complete work on the final section of Elbridge. Final paving of Elbridge will be completed shortly once the weather is warm enough to pave and stripe.
The westbound off-ramps from the Tacony Palmyra Bridge to Elbridge Street and New State Road have been streamlined into a single ramp to improve pedestrian crossing safety. Once Elbridge is paved, the new turning lane for Elbridge will be open.
In addition to ongoing road work in the vicinity of the Tacony Palmyra bridge, roadway improvements are underway at Princeton Avenue and New State Road. When completed this spring, traffic flow and drainage at the intersection will be improved. Further improvements are being made on Princeton under I-95 to improve pedestrian and vehicle flow under the interstate.
Removal of inactive rail lines continues on Milnor Street. Crews have completed new driveways, sidewalks, and curbs along the west side of the street. Milling and paving on Milnor will be completed this summer.
PennDOT’s contractor has temporarily shifted all four lanes of southbound I-95 at the interchange to accommodate construction on the main and to allow additional space for the new Cottman on-ramp to be built and tied into the interstate.
During construction, which is expected to finish in early 2024, there will be periodic off-peak travel restrictions and pedestrian-posted detours on surface streets around and approaching the Cottman Avenue Interchange, including New State Road and its intersections at Magee Avenue and Unruh Street, and State Road and its intersections with Cottman Avenue and Princeton Avenue.
Under two previous construction projects — CP1, completed in 2012, and CP2, completed in 2017 — I-95 was reconstructed and widened to four lanes in each direction between Bleigh Avenue and Levick Street. I-95 bridges over Bleigh Avenue, Princeton Avenue, New State Road, Unruh Avenue, and Magee Avenue also were replaced.
In addition, a new southbound on-ramp was constructed at Longshore Avenue, and a new northbound on-ramp was constructed at Milnor Street to merge with the existing on-ramp from Princeton Avenue. A number of surface streets in the vicinity of the interchange also were improved, including Cottman and Princeton avenues and New State Road.
The work is part of the I-95/Section CP3 project to construct a new southbound I-95 on-ramp at Cottman Avenue and improve traffic flow on surface streets in the vicinity of the Cottman-Princeton Interchange. C. Abbonizio Contractors, Inc. of Sewell, N.J., is the general contractor on the 100 percent federally funded project.
