Philly has begun an $11.5 million beautification and anti-graffiti project before its big summer
The Gateways to Philadelphia partnership with Mural Arts and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will bring new murals and landscaping to several major transportation gateways.
Philadelphia is cleaning up before the company gets here.
Work is underway for a $11.5 million beautification and anti-graffiti project ahead of Philly’s coming summer of major events.
The initiative will focus on major transportation gateways to the city. Each location will receive graffiti removal, new landscaping, fresh murals, and enhanced maintenance before visitors flock to Philly for the World Cup, the nation’s semiquincentennial, and the MLB All-Star Game.
“We are ensuring that Philadelphia makes the right first impression as we prepare to welcome the nation and the world,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker at an event announcing the Gateways to Philadelphia initiative Friday.
“This is our moment to make Philadelphia shine on the world’s biggest stage,” said Carlton Williams, director of the city’s Office of Clean and Green Initiatives.
The project is led by a partnership between the city, Mural Arts Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. It is funded by $6.5 million from the city, $3.5 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, private donations, and philanthropy.
The beautification work will focus on seven locations in its first phase, including:
26th Street at Penrose Avenue
South Street Bridge and ramps
30th Street Station’s “honeycomb wall” and medians
I-76 and I-676 interchange at 15th and 16th Streets/Vine Street
I-76 and I-676 interchange at Sixth and Eighth Streets/Callowhill Street
I-76 and I-95 interchange at Second and Third Streets at Callowhill Street
CSX/Amtrak wall at Spring Garden Street
Parker said that similar projects would be rolled out to other locations in the future. Work began in the fall, including the planting of 95,000 bulbs in the green spaces alongside roadways that are normally barren or filled with weeds. The project uses gold ribbons as a theme and color palette, with matching flowers and repainted walls.
“This project is about elevating people’s experience, perception and expectations of Philadelphia, whether they live here or whether they’ve visiting for the first time,” said Philadelphia Horticultural Society President Matt Rader.
Mural Arts Philadelphia’s work will range from smaller murals of flowers on the blank walls hugging the interstate, to a wide Philadelphia landmark-themed mural on the CSX/Amtrak wall. Much of the mural construction will take place at night to avoid travel interruptions, but there could be some shutdowns coming on the Amtrak corridor to accommodate work, according to executive director Jane Golden.
“Creativity belongs in public life, and even the most utilitarian of spaces can reflect, care, dignity and imagination... it makes the shared spaces of our city feel alive with hope, with possibility and with beauty,” she said.
While the project is happening largely because of visitors, speakers said they understood the need to maintain these new features for the city after the events end. PennDot’s $3.5 million contribution is meant to cover long-term maintenance.
“As much as we want to welcome... the folks that visit Pennsylvania in 2026, it’s as much about that as it is about the folks that live in Fishtown and in South Philly,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Michael B. Carroll.
“This is about Philadelphia remembering who we are and getting our own house in order and making sure that it stays in order even after the company leaves,” Parker said.
Parker said she intends for this initiative to have an impact on shaking what has become maybe Philadelphia’s most infamous nickname.
“I’m unapologetic about this — we’re going to get rid of that ugly moniker ‘Filthadelphia,’“ she said.