Anticipated Pedestrian and Bike Ramp for Ben Franklin Bridge Gets More Funding

Ben Franklin Bridge | Shutterstock

Across the river, Camden County is closer to getting more user friendly access to the Ben Franklin Bridge. According to Jim Saksa at PlanPhilly, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) donated $800,000 to the Delaware River Port Authority for a proposed ramp that would replace the currently non ADA-compliant stairs on the bridge’s south side late last month.

Saksa reports that in addition to the gift from DVRPC, the William Pen Foundation made their own donation to the project via a $400,000 grant back in 2013. Saksa adds that funding for the ramp now totals to $1.2 million, less than half of the projected $3.5 million cost, but given that its design studies are only 50 percent complete (they’ll be ready by the end of the year) there remains time to raise more money.

Guess we’ll be seeing more of those South Jersey kids ’round here soon enough, huh?

Start of work on Ben Franklin Bridge pedestrian and bike ramp inches a teensy bit closer [PlanPhilly]