Traffic Is About to Get Much, Much Worse Near 30th Street

Image via Google Maps

Expect traffic near 30th Street Station to become even more of a nightmare later this month.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation detailed on Friday a major construction project that will close nearby portions of Schuylkill Avenue and likely lead to headaches for commuters. 

Starting at 7 a.m. on August 21st, northbound Schuylkill Avenue near 30th Street Station will be closed and detoured between Walnut Street and Chestnut Street. The closures will last about five months.

During that time, PennDOT will work to rehabilitate several nearby structures, including I-76 ramps and the Chestnut Street bridge.

Detours

Commuters heading toward 30th Street Station, westbound I-76 and eastbound I-676 will be detoured west to 33rd Street, right onto Market Street and then back onto Schuylkill Avenue.

The closure will prevent drivers and cyclists from turning right onto Schuylkill Avenue from the Walnut Street bridge.

Surrounding sidewalks on the east side of Schuylkill Avenue, on the south side of Chestnut Street and on the north side of Walnut Street will be closed to pedestrians. The sidewalk on the west side of Schuylkill Avenue will stay open.

Be sure to watch out for intermittent overnight lane restrictions on Schuylkill Avenue next week. From August 14th through August 17th, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., crews will shut down the road’s northbound and southbound lanes between Market Street and Chestnut Street for removal of the concrete median island.

Allow extra time when traveling near work zones – slowdowns will occur.

Reconstruction

The entire project, which is expected to wrap up in fall of 2020, includes the following improvements, per PennDOT:

• Rehabilitating two structures on the I-76 ramps between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street;
• Resurfacing Chestnut Street from 31st Street to 30th Street, and from 24th Street to 23rd Street;
• Constructing wider sidewalks and installing decorative barrier and railings on the Chestnut Street and Schuylkill Avenue bridges;
• Rehabilitating a 900-foot section of the river wall structure between I-76 and the Schuylkill River from Market Street and Walnut Street;
• Rehabilitating a 15-foot section of the retaining wall supporting the Schuylkill River Trail under Chestnut Street;
• Installing new traffic signals, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) equipment, and street lighting along Chestnut Street between 31st Street and 23rd Street;
• Replacing millennium lighting on Chestnut Street over the Schuylkill River;
• Constructing a new trellis at the Chestnut Street Trailhead to the Schuylkill River Trail;
• Restriping pavement markings for a bicycle lane on Chestnut Street between 34th Street and 22nd Street; and
• Installing a new clear acrylic barrier along Amtrak Northeast Corridor tracks located on the west side of Schuylkill Avenue West between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street.

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