Parts of I-95 in Philly are closed overnight this week
The latest closures come as construction continues on the $329 million I-95 cap project, expected to be completed by 2030.
Center City motorists will have to navigate some overnight detours this week.
As construction continues on the $329 million I-95 cap project, southbound sections of the highway are closing each weeknight through Thursday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
The closures began overnight Sunday into Monday, according to PennDot, and will end early Friday.
The exact closures, set to be in effect from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., are as follows:
I-95 South will be closed between I-676 Central Philadelphia/Callowhill Street, or Exit 22, and Washington Avenue/Columbus Boulevard, or Exit 20. Motorists will be rerouted onto the I-676 West ramp at Exit 22, then directed to turn left onto Callowhill Street, right onto Columbus Boulevard, and onto the I-95 South ramp at Water/Morris Streets.
The ramp from I-676 East to I-95 South will be closed. Motorists will be rerouted to the Sixth Street ramp, then directed to turn left onto Race Street, right onto Columbus Boulevard, and onto the I-95 South ramp at Water/Morris Streets.
The closures will allow a PennDot contractor to do utility work and install overhead jacks and sign structures, according to the agency.
“Motorists are advised to allow extra time when traveling near the work area or along the detour routes because significant backups and delays may occur,” PennDot officials said in a statement.
The cap project is set to reconnect Old City to the Delaware waterfront with a 12-acre park. The public green space, which will include an amphitheater, a skating rink, a playground, and a timber building, will sit atop I-95 between Chestnut and Walnut Streets.
» READ MORE: How the capping of I-95 will reconnect Philadelphians to the Delaware waterfront
Construction was about 30% complete as of December, with PennDot’s construction on track to be finished by 2029. The Delaware River Waterfront Corp. (DRWC) will build the park and its amenities the following year.
After years of planning and pandemic-related delays, construction began in 2023, and has resulted in other temporary closures and detours. Among the longest-lasting was the yearlong closure of the ramp from Market Street onto I-95 South. The ramp reopened last month, though PennDot said another short-term closure will be scheduled later this year.
The I-95 project is one of two highway caps planned in the city.
The Chinatown Stitch would cap the Vine Street Expressway between 10th and 13th Streets, though its future has been in limbo since the Trump administration pulled millions in federal construction funding. Last month, regional planners moved $10 million to keep the project moving forward.
