Philadelphia, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that bridge deck repair on two structures will close a portion of westbound Interstate 76 (Schuylkill Expressway) in the Grays Ferry neighborhood of Philadelphia beginning Friday night, March 28.
Motorists are advised of the following travel restriction:
- From 9:00 PM Friday, March 28, to 5:00 AM Monday, March 31, westbound I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) will be closed between the 34th Street off-ramp and the University Avenue on-ramp.
In addition, the following ramps will be closed and detoured during the weekend closure:
- The 34th Street ramp to I-76 West (Schuylkill Expressway).
- The South Street ramp to I-76 West (Schuylkill Expressway).
- The I-76 West (Schuylkill Expressway) ramp to South Street.
The ramp from University Avenue to I-76 West (Schuylkill Expressway) will remain open to traffic.
During the closure of the two I-76 West (Schuylkill Expressway) bridges, the regional detour route will direct drivers to use I-95 and I-676 West (Vine Street Expressway).
Local traffic will be directed to exit I-76 West (Schuylkill Expressway) at 34th Street, turn right onto Grays Ferry Avenue, turn right onto Washington Avenue, turn left onto 22nd Street, turn left onto Walnut Street, and turn right onto Schuylkill Avenue to access the ramp to I-76 West (Schuylkill Expressway).
Weather permitting, this same section of I-76 West (Schuylkill Expressway) will be closed and detoured over at least two additional weekends to be scheduled sometime this spring.
The weekend closures are being coordinated with the City of Philadelphia, the Sports Complex, SEPTA, and other stakeholders and transportation agencies across the region.
The closures will allow PennDOT’s contractors to repair sections of deteriorated concrete deck and resurface the structure that carries westbound I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) over Grays Ferry Avenue, Wharton Street and Reed Street, and the adjacent structure that carries westbound I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) over the Schuylkill River and CSX rail tracks.
PennDOT’s contractor will perform milling operations to remove all existing latex modified concrete from the bridge decks. Crews will perform sounding operations to locate and repair deteriorated sections of concrete with a rapid set epoxy based concrete patching material.
Once repairs are completed, a highly bonding tack coat will be applied to the roadway prior to paving. Final paving will consist of a dense graded bituminous material that will reduce surface cracking, rutting, and reduce infiltration of water and road salts, providing a water proofing sealer for the bridge decks.
Electronic message boards on I-76 and other regional transportation arteries will be utilized to alert motorists about the weekend closures and provide additional information about alternate routes.
Motorists are advised to avoid the closure areas because significant backups will occur on I-76 West (Schuylkill Expressway) approaching the work area, and on surface streets in the vicinity of the work area and detour routes.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways 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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MEDIA CONTACT: Brad Rudolph, bradrudolph@pa.gov
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