Demo work begins for Penn’s Landing capping project

Construction isn’t expected to begin on the capping of I-95 and Penn’s Landing for another three years, but demolition work is expected to begin this week on a series of rarely-used highway ramps.

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) told the Inquirer’s Inga Saffron that it will begin demolishing a series of scissor ramps between Market and Chestnut Streets on Wednesday in preparation of the capping project. Once the demo is complete in four months, it will be turned into its own park.

Saffron wrote:

The scissor ramps are just north of where the cap will eventually be built. Although work on the cover park is not expected to start before 2021, Forkin said his agency decided to remove the ramps now because they receive so little use — about 1,200 car trips a day. The 2.6-acre area occupied by the ramps is designated for mixed-use housing in the Central Delaware master plan, and the waterfront agency hopes to start marketing the site to developers once demolition is complete.

Residents of the Pier 3 condos will be affected by the demolition since they use the ramps to drive in and out of their condo building.

The demolition is the first physical sign of work at the future site of the Penn’s Landing capping and civic spaces project. The plan is to cap over the site with an 11-acre park, and bring 1,500 new housing units, 500 hotel rooms, and more than 100,000-square-feet of retail, restaurants, and entertainment to the site.

In early June, DWRC announced that the total funding for the $225 million project had been secured. The design process, including permits and construction documents, is expected to wrap up by the end of 2019, while construction is expected to finish by 2021.

• Delaware River redevelopment starts with highway ramp demolition [Inquirer]
• Penn’s Landing update: Total funding secured for I-95 capping park project [Curbed Philly]
• William Penn Foundation, PennDOT commit $115M total to cap I-95 [Curbed Philly]
• Mayor Kenney to propose $90M for I-95 capping [Curbed Philly]
• $10M Study Announced to Cover I-95 Around Penn's Landing [Curbed Philly]