18th Street Bridge over I-676 closes for entire year

Just when you thought the month-long NFL Draft road closures were finally over, here comes news of another road closure from PennDOT.

The agency has announced that beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 15, 18th Street Bridge over the I-676 (a.k.a. the Vine Street Expressway) will be closed for an entire year for construction.

During the year-long construction, northbound drivers will be detoured east on Vine Street, north on 16th Street, and west on Vine Street to access 18th Street.

Walking? Pedestrians will be re-routed onto the sidewalks on 19th Street over I-676.

Here’s what’s in store for the new-and-improved 18th Street Bridge when it re-opens in June 2018, via PennDOT’s announcement:

The new, single-span 18th Street bridge will replace the original two-span structure that was built during construction of the original Vine Street Expressway in the 1950’s. The new 18th Street bridge will include two northbound travel lanes, wider sidewalks and new street lights, ornamental fences and concrete planter boxes similar to those in place on the new 19th Street bridge over I-676, which reopened earlier this spring.

If it’s any consolation, this is the seventh and final bridge over I-676 that will be under construction. It’s part of PennDOT’s $64.8 million project to rebuild the deteriorated bridges between 18th and 22nd streets.