‘Do you have to do it right in my reelection?’: Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. asks to delay Falls Bridge and 59th Street Bridge projects

In a surprisingly candid moment, Philadelphia City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. on Tuesday asked city officials if it was possible to delay two bridge rehabilitation projects in his district because of the traffic jams they would create for constituents next year during his reelection campaign.

“Do you have to do it right in my reelection?” Jones asked about the planned projects for the 59th Street Bridge and Falls Bridge during a hearing on the Department of Streets’ budget. Jones joked that while he supports both projects today, “in 2027, I’m going to be leading a protest.”

Jones represents the 4th Councilmanic District, which spans the Schuylkill River to include parts of West and Northwest Philadelphia. All 17 Council members and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker will be up for reelection next year. Jones, a Democrat, has indicated he will seek a sixth four-year term.

» READ MORE: All 17 City Council members may be running for reelection. That would be the first time in at least 75 years.

While it’s common for elected officials to consider political impacts when timing the rollouts of new policies or projects, Jones’ blunt and public airing of those concerns was unusual.

“You all think in 10-year things,” Jones told officials from Parker’s administration during the hearing before members of City Council. “We kind of think in four-year.”

Administration officials stressed that public safety was the city’s top concern in planning the projects, but added that they were willing to talk with Jones about minimizing disruptions for residents.

Deputy Managing Director Michael Carroll told Jones during the hearing that the rehabilitation project for Falls Bridge, which crosses the river just north of U.S. Route 1 and was built in 1894, needed to move as soon as possible due to bridge’s poor condition.

“Falls has to move,” Carroll said while testifying in Council’s Committee of the Whole. “We don’t have a lot of time to fix that bridge.”

Residents can see the bridge’s deterioration, Carroll said, and many will be eager to see it repaired.

“We’ll rally them to your cause if that helps you,” Carroll told Jones.

Detours and construction for the Falls Bridge project are scheduled to begin this year and last through summer 2029, according to planning document from August 2025 on the city’s website.

Construction for the 59th Street Bridge, which crosses train tracks in West Philadelphia and was built in 1922, is slated to begin in late 2026 and continue until late 2029, according to the managing director’s office. Detours around the bridge would begin in fall 2027 and last 26 months under the current timeline, which has already been delayed.

Carroll said the need to rehabilitate that bridge is less urgent.

“We do have a little bit of leeway on 59th Street,” Carroll said. “That’s a conversation that your office should be included in because that’s a difference in priorities.”

The mayor’s administration did not respond to questions about the projects’ estimated budgets.

“We are currently involved in public outreach to the residents affected by the proposed 59th Street Bridge project so we can listen to their concerns and input,” Carroll said in a statement Tuesday evening. “We recognize this bridge is at a major intersection — especially around Overbrook High School — however, we need to be clear that all decisions are made with public safety as the priority. The Falls Bridge must be closed for repair because of public safety.”

Officials will answer residents’ questions about on the 59th Street Bridge project during a public meeting at Overbrook High School at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

After the hearing Tuesday, Jones said he understood the projects are needed and that the 4th District’s residents would have to “take our lumps.” But he said he wanted to ensure his constituents are not unduly inconvenienced.

Closing the Falls Bridge, he said, will “overload” Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and shutting down the 59th Street Bridge will add 20 minutes for drivers going through that area.

He added that he’s concerned about how construction on the 59th Street Bridge, which connects the city’s Wynnefield and Overbrook neighborhoods, could impact students commuting to school.

“Kids that are going to school now have to — not only do they have to go and walk a longer distance — they got to go through controversial neighborhoods that they may not be welcomed in,“ Jones said. ”And so that causes conflict, and possibly even kids just saying, ‘Screw that. I’m not going to school.’"

Council members, he said, often get blamed for problems they can’t control.

“You get caught in that traffic jam, and a picture of me comes to mind, and you’re going to be mad,” Jones said. “If you’re going to raise taxes or close bridges, I’d rather it not be done in an election year.”