September 27, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Closures for bridge repair work on I-76 will resume Friday. There will be additional restrictions on the interstate and on I-95 throughout next week. Above, a file photo of the Schuylkill Expressway on I-76.
UPDATE: The closure of Interstate 76 East (Schuylkill Expressway) scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. to Monday, Oct. 7 at 4 a.m. has been canceled due to upcoming Phillies games. The next closure on I-76 East will begin at Friday, Oct. 11 at 9 p.m. and end on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 6 a.m.
The story below has been updated to reflect the new schedule.
Parts of Interstate 76 East will be restricted starting Friday night, resuming a schedule for repairs to a bridge deck in the Grays Ferry neighborhood. Additional pavement work will close lanes on the highway starting Monday.
Also, closures will occur on I-95 next week as part of the ongoing capping project to build an 11 1/2-acre park above the highway, which will allow people to walk from the edge of Society Hill to the Delaware River waterfront at Penn's Landing.
Here are the details for upcoming closures and detours in I-76 and I-95:
PennDOT originally announced four weekends of closures on the Schuylkill Expressway, with the first scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21. But last week's road closures were canceled due to materials made at a contractor's asphalt plant not testing well. But the work will commence starting Friday, Sept. 27.
I-76 East will be closed from the ramp at Grays Ferry Avenue/University Avenue (Exit 346B) to the 34th Street on-ramp, and motorists can detour on I-676 East (Vine Street Expressway) to I-95 South or on I-476 South to I-95 North.
Closures on I-76 East will occur at the following dates and times:
• 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 to 4 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30
• 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11 to 6 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 13
Pavement and road repair work will begin Monday and continue throughout the week as part of a $36.8 million project to improve 5 miles of the interstate.
The closure schedule on the Schuylkill Expressway will be as follows:
• Monday, Sept. 30 and Tuesday, Oct. 1, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.: The ramp from southbound U.S. 1 to westbound I-76 will be closed. Commuters should use eastbound I-76 and exit at Montgomery Drive to get on westbound I-76.
• Monday, Sept. 30 and Tuesday, Oct. 1, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.: The first ramp from westbound I-76 to U.S. 1 South (City Avenue) will be closed. Drivers can continue on westbound I-76 and take the second exit to U.S. 1.
• Monday, Sept. 30 to Thursday, Oct. 3, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.: There will be a lane closed on eastbound and westbound I-76 between the Girard Avenue and 30th Street Station interchanges.
• Monday, Sept. 30 to Friday, Oct. 4, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.: The ramp from westbound I-76 to Lincoln Drive will close. Motorists can continue on the westbound I-76 exit at Belmont Avenue and take the ramp to eastbound I-76 to get to Lincoln Drive.
• Monday, Sept. 30 to Friday, Oct. 4, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.: A lane will close on eastbound and westbound I-76 between the Montgomery Drive and U.S. 1 South interchanges.
Late-night drivers should plan for extra time while traveling through the affected roads.
Beginning Monday, a single lane will be closed in both directions of I-95 between the I-676 and Columbus Boulevard exchanges at 9 p.m. At 11 p.m., multiple lanes will close until 5 a.m.
From 9 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday, double-lane closures will be in effect in the same stretch. Should weather conditions cause delays, work on the capping project will continue on Thursday at 9 p.m. to Friday at 5 p.m.
Farther north on I-95, the right lane on the highway's northbound side will be closed approaching the Betsy Ross Bridge interchange, starting at 8 p.m. Monday and ending at 5 a.m. Tuesday. The same closure will be in effect daily through Thursday. This is to allow surveying and soil testing, preliminary work related to PennDOT's plan to reconstruct a portion of I-95 in that area, which is scheduled to begin in 2025.
