May 30, 2020 – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that construction will begin Wednesday, June 3, on the $93.6 million Interstate 95 Section BR2 project that will continue ramp reconstruction and improvements at the Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange in Philadelphia.
“Improving the ramp system will improve the efficiency of traffic movement at this interchange by helping complete the direct connections between the Betsy Ross Bridge, Interstate 95 and Aramingo Avenue while eventually establishing new access to the bridge and the interstate from Torresdale Avenue by way of the new extension of Adams Avenue,” District 6 Executive Kenneth M. McClain said.
Work on this project will be in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific COVID-19 safety plan, which will include protocols for social distancing, use of face coverings, personal and job-site cleaning protocols, management of entries to the jobsite, special signing, and relevant training.
Over the coming weeks, PennDOT’s contractor will complete the I-95 work zone set up and begin preparations for the start of ramp construction this summer to replace the following ramp structures:
No long-term lane closures are planned on I-95 for the BR2 project, but periodic off-peak lane restrictions will be in place for certain construction activities. In addition, three of the impacted ramps will be closed and detoured during various stages of the Section BR2 project beginning this summer.
PennDOT next week is starting an additional I-95 reconstruction project between Levick Street and Carver Street, at the northern half of the adjacent Bridge Street Interchange.
Buckley & Company, Inc, of Philadelphia, is general contractor on the Section BR2 project which is financed with 100 percent federal funds.
Section BR2, the second of five contracts to improve the interchange’s ramps and reconstruct mainline I-95 at the at the Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange, is expected take approximately two-and-a-half years to complete.
During BR2 construction, the ramp from the bridge to northbound I-95 and the ramp from Aramingo Avenue to southbound I-95 will be closed and detoured for approximately 10 months during the latter stages of the project. The ramp from the bridge to southbound I-95 will be closed for approximately 15 months in the middle of the project.
One lane on the ramp from northbound I-95 to the bridge will remain open while the structure over the Frankford Creek is replaced. The ramp from southbound I-95 to the bridge will be unaffected by construction and will remain open, along with access to and from the bridge from Richmond Street.
In 2023, construction is scheduled to begin on the ramps from the bridge and from Aramingo Avenue to northbound I-95 under the Section BR3 project, the final phase of ramp improvements at this interchange.
