Market Street ramp to southbound I-95 reopens
The Market Street ramp to southbound I-95 has been closed since last March for construction work on the 4-acre cap being built over the expressway between Walnut and Chestnut Streets.
The on-ramp from Market Street onto I-95 south reopened to traffic Tuesday afternoon after being closed since last March for work on a $329 million cap over the sunken section of expressway.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reopened the ramp by 3 p.m.
While the ramp was shut, the Philadelphia Water Department installed a new stormwater drain, crews demolished a support pier for the former I-95 covering, beams were set over the southbound lanes, and pavement was rebuilt.
The project will reconnect Philadelphia’s Old City to Penn’s Landing with a new park on top of a two-block cap between Walnut and Chestnut Streets.
As of last December, about 30% of the project was complete. PennDot’s construction of the cap itself is projected to be finished in 2029, with the park installed the following year by the Delaware River Waterfront Development Corp.
A short-term closure of the Market ramp will be scheduled later this year to perform minor construction activities, including line painting, PennDot said.
To learn more about the project, including construction updates, project detours, and other information, visit www.95revive.com and parkatpennslanding.com.
Overlooking the ramp entrance is a statue of Chief Tamanend, the Lenape leader who signed a peace treaty with William Penn.
Civic leaders have been interested in moving the statue to Second and Market, where it would be featured as part of a new plaza in honor of the Lenni-Lenape, the Indigenous inhabitants of Philadelphia.
Tamanend Square would mark the city’s first space dedicated to Native Americans. However, concerns about moving the statue — created by artist Raymond Sandoval and installed in 1995 — have led to extended conversations between tribal leaders and officials overseeing the Market Street transformation project.
Officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Philadelphia) in late November announced $850,000 in federal funding for improvements in Old City as Philadelphia prepares for the nation’s 250th birthday in July.
The funding covers two projects, including the “final phase of Tamanend Plaza,” Boyle’s office said. The plaza will have upgraded pedestrian crossings, new bike lanes, green space enhancements, and other upgrades.