Philadelphia, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that early construction activities will begin on Monday, March 17, on the $148.9 million project to rehabilitate the bridges that carry Market Street over Amtrak and Interstate 76 (Schuylkill Expressway), the Schuylkill River Trail, and CSX Railroad in Center City Philadelphia.
Under this contract, the superstructure on the existing Market Street bridge over Amtrak and I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway), at the intersection of Schuylkill Avenue West and Market Street, will be partially demolished and replaced. The deteriorated deck and sidewalks of the immediately adjacent Market Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River will also be replaced, and the existing four-span Market Street bridge over the Schuylkill River Trail and CSX Railroad on the east side of the river will be replaced with a single-span bridge and retaining walls.
Along with structural work on the bridges, Market Street’s pavement will be reconfigured from Schuylkill Avenue West to 23rd Street to enhance the existing transportation network and accommodate vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. The new pavement will include two, 10-foot-wide travel lanes in both directions with turning lanes and wide sidewalks. A two-way bicycle lane with concrete separators will be installed and connected to the existing bicycle facilities at 23rd Street. A bicycle signal will be installed at Market Street and Schuylkill Avenue West.
Modifications and upgrades will also be made to the traffic signals in the project area, including Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) improvements and replacement of new highway lighting, bridge enhancement lighting, and navigation lighting systems.
The project will repair the west and east river walls supporting the Schuylkill River banks from Market Street to south of Walnut Street and repair the pedestrian staircase between the Schuylkill River Trail and JFK Boulevard to address settlement.
The contract also includes preservation improvements to the Walnut Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River and resurfacing the roadway between 33rd and 22nd streets. A parking-separated bicycle lane will be installed on Walnut Street from 33rd Street to 22nd Street, along with modifications to traffic signals.
Early construction activities by the general contractor on this project, Buckley & Company Inc., of Philadelphia, will focus on extensive utility work to move, relocate, replace, or install numerous electric, gas, water, fiber optic and other lines within the project area.
Beginning Monday, March 17, through Monday, April 14, Market Street motorists will encounter periodic weekday lane closures from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM between 30th Street and Schuylkill Avenue West for utility construction.
Drivers are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the work area because significant backups and delays may occur. All scheduled activities are weather dependent.
This project will require partial detours and staged-construction traffic patterns on Market Street and Walnut Street, including closing Market Street to vehicular traffic for approximately 14 months from August 2026 to October 2027, to accommodate visitors to Philadelphia for the celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial.
There will be no travel restrictions in place in the project area from June 1, 2026, to August 7, 2026, during the anniversary celebration.
During the Market Street Bridge closure, several weekend street closures will be in place on the west side of the river for accelerated bridge construction over I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway). I-76 also will be closed in both directions from Arch Street to Walnut Street during these weekends.
During the Market Street Bridge reconstruction phases, two lanes of traffic in each direction will be maintained daily from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Bicyclists will be directed to use the existing bicycle network on Chestnut and Walnut streets.
The construction staging on Walnut Street will be sequenced to be performed concurrently with work on Market Street and will take place largely after the Market Street detour is removed. One lane of westbound traffic and the bicycle lane will remain open during work on Walnut Street.
This project, which is financed with 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funds, is expected to take approximately four years to complete.
For more information on this bridge improvement project, visit www.marketstreetbridges.com.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways including color-coded winter conditions, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
For a complete list of construction projects impacting state-owned highways in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, visit the District 6 Traffic Bulletin.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District6.
Information about infrastructure in District 6, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D6Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
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