A dangerous Philly street is getting safety improvements. Expect traffic delays until January
Broad Street and Vine Street will be a traffic-delay zone for the next five months.
Vine Street, one of the city’s busiest and most-dangerous corridors, is set to get a “road diet” and other safety upgrades over the next five months — a project that’s expected to cause major headaches for rush-hour drivers.
Construction is scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 18, on improvements stretching from Broad to Eighth Streets. The work is expected to last through Jan. 16.
The biggest change: reducing the roadway from six travel lanes (three in each direction) to four lanes, with two on each side. South Broad Street will also gain a designated dual left-turn lane for drivers heading onto the Vine Street Expressway.
Pedestrians will receive sidewalk “bump-outs” at intersections to decrease the travel distance to the other side, pedestrian countdown signals, and ADA ramp reconstruction where needed.
Additionally, the eastbound Vine Street parking lane will be replaced with a buffered bike lane, from Broad to Eighth streets.
This $8.5 million project will help pave the way for additional safety features along Vine Street when the eventual “Chinatown Stitch” project caps I-676, creating more public space for pedestrians.
However, that project is in limbo after the Republican-led federal budget bill revoked funds for capping the Vine Street Expressway.
When will construction be done?
The intersection of Broad and Vine Streets will experience major traffic delays on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays from Aug. 18 until mid-January. Vine Street, from Broad Street to Eighth Street, will also be impacted during those times.
When will construction be done?
Vine Street improvements are expected to be completed by summer of 2026.