Weeknight I-95 CAP project construction canceled this week due to rainy forecast
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A rainy forecast has prompted PennDOT to cancel its planned overnight road closure along Interstate 95 in Philadelphia this week.
The weeknight road work was set to begin Monday, March 4, the latest phase in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's $329 million CAP project.
According to PennDOT, if weather permits, a single lane closure on I-95 south will begin Tuesday, March 5. The ramp from I-676 east to I-95 south would also still close on Tuesday night.
The ongoing construction is part of the five-year project to connect Center City Philadelphia to the Delaware River Waterfront and will replace and expand the existing covered section of I-95, as well as add an 11.5-acre pedestrian-friendly park.
A stretch of I-95 south between I-676/Callowhill Street (Exit 22) and the Morris Street on-ramp was set to begin Monday night and continue to Thursday, but that work is being postponed. Over the weekend, PennDOT said in a press release that the closure would allow crews to install a temporary barrier and restripe the southbound lanes to move traffic away from the median, giving workers more space as construction begins on the new piers at Walnut and Chestnut streets.
Here's a look at the updated road restrictions starting on Tuesday, March 5, weather permitting:
March 5-7, from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- Lane closure on southbound I-95 between Market Street and South Street
March 5-7, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- I-676 east ramp to I-95 south (Chester/Philadelphia International Airport) will be closed
- Alternate route: Drivers will be directed to exit at the Ben Franklin Bridge and sue 6th Street, Race Street and Columbus Boulevard south to access the on-ramp to I-95 south at Morris Street
On Friday, March 8, the Market Street ramp to I-95 south, which has been closed since Feb. 19, is still set to reopen to traffic. Until then, drivers should continue to follow the detour to southbound Columbus Boulevard and get onto I-95 at Morris Street.
In February, drivers had to navigate two weekend-long road closures, one on the southbound lanes and the other on the northbound lanes. Because of the progress made back in February, PennDOT has said it doesn't plan on scheduling any additional weekend closures for demolition along I-95.
