Aerial map of the Chestnut Street Bridges project area (courtesy PennDOT).

The Chestnut Street Bridges rehabilitation project began today and street closings near 30th Street Station will affect vehicular and pedestrian traffic for many months.

Northbound Schuylkill Avenue between Walnut and Chestnut Streets closed at 7 a.m. on Monday for approximately two years, according to an announcement by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

The closure of northbound Schuylkill Avenue will prohibit right turns by motorists and cyclists heading into West Philadelphia using the Walnut Street bridge over the Schuylkill River.

Motorists using Walnut Street and heading to 30th Street Station or the ramp to westbound I-76 or the ramp to eastbound I-676 will be detoured west to 30th Street, then right on 30th Street to Market Street, and right on Market Street to Schuylkill Avenue. 

For pedestrians, the sidewalk on the east side of Schuylkill Avenue also will close, as will crosswalks on the south side of Chestnut Street at Schuylkill Avenue and on the north side of Walnut Street at Schuylkill Avenue. The sidewalk on the west side of Schuylkill Avenue will remain open.

In addition to the closure, intermittent lane restrictions will be in place on northbound and southbound Schuylkill Avenue between Market Street and Chestnut Street, and on southbound Schuylkill Avenue between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street on Monday, Aug. 28, through Friday, Sept. 1, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the following morning, for rehabilitation of the Schuylkill Avenue viaducts’ steel superstructure.

Motorists are advised to allow additional time for travel through the work zone because backups and delays may occur.

PennDot’s project, which costs approximately $104 million, will include rehabilitation and repair of the steel superstructure of the main Chestnut Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River, replacing the deck of the main bridge and three adjacent Chestnut Street bridges (over 30th Street and Amtrak, CSX rail lines, and 24th Street), and resurfacing Chestnut Street between 31st Street and 22nd Street. The Chestnut Street Bridge will close for about one year beginning in mid-2019.

Visit chestnutstreetbridges.com for more information, including the construction schedule.