Work is officially underway on ‘Park at Penn’s Landing’ over I-95 in Philadelphia

The nearly 12-acre park to be built over I-95 is not only a “big deal” for Philadelphia, but also the state, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Wednesday at the official groundbreaking for what will be known as the Park at Penn’s Landing.

“This is going to be a place where we can celebrate one another,” Shapiro said. “This is going to be a place of peace and freedom, where we can all come together.”

Indeed, a host of government and other officials speaking to a crowd under a large tent on the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing said the park would be transformational for the city, stitching back together what I-95 rent when it was built in the 1960s and ‘70s, lopping off whole neighborhoods from their direct connection to the Delaware River.

The movement for reconnecting the city to the waterfront via a structure over the federal highway began with an executive order under the administration of Mayor John F. Street in the early 2000s. But it took years of meetings, planning, and finding funding to move to fruition through the administrations of Mayors Michael Nutter and Jim Kenney.

“The original construction of I-95 was traumatic for the city,” Kenney said. “Properties were demolished. Families were displaced, and the highway disconnected neighborhoods from the waterfront. I grew up in a neighborhood where literally thousands of homes were taken to build I-95.”

Kenney said the park, when complete over the next four to six years, is forecast to generate $1.6 billion in economic activity over the following 25 years. He predicted it would boost business in the areas of Old City, Society Hill, and Independence National Historical Park, but it also would bring about equity by connecting city residents with the waterfront.

Pedestrians and cyclists trying to reach Penn’s Landing generally use the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge over I-95 and Columbus Boulevard. That bridge will close beginning this month for start of construction of the 11.5-acre Park at Penn’s Landing. Pedestrians will then have to use Dock Street to cross over I-95. Heavy construction, including demolition of the Walnut Street bridge, is expected to start within the next few months.

When complete, the park will cover about four acres over I-95 between Chestnut and Walnut Streets. Another seven acres will slope down to the waterfront from Columbus Boulevard (formerly Delaware Avenue along that section).

PennDot Secretary Mike Carroll said the project is estimated to cost about $360 million for design and construction. Private partners including the William Penn Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Knight Foundation are collectively contributing $25 million for park amenities. The nonprofit Delaware River Waterfront Corp. is a partner with the city on the project. The Federal Highway Administration is also involved. Philly-based Buckley & Co. Inc. is the general contractor.

Rob Buckley, president of Buckley & Co., said crews are currently assessing the massive network of utilities that run under the road, some of which date back 100 years or more.

Officials expect that the park will serve as central meeting place and festival and performance venue.

A separate South Street bridge will allow people to walk or bike over both I-95 and Columbus Boulevard and onto the Delaware River Trail, which runs from South Philadelphia north to Penn Treaty Park with plans to extend it farther north.

Plans for the park call for gardens, a cafe, large timber pavilion, and amphitheater. The Independence Blue Cross RiverRink now at Penn’s Landing would be dismantled and relocated to the new park.

The park would also have open space, “a play area,” and cafe. It would include a “contemplative setting” for the existing Irish and Scottish Memorials, currently at the southeast corner of Front and Chestnut Streets. The memorials would be relocated a block south to the new cap at Front and Walnut.

When work ramps up on the cap, which includes setting beams into place to support the cap, contractors will close sections of the highway overnight during the workweek, but not on weekends. Detours will be put in place 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. so as not to impact daily commuters.

Major work includes demolition of bridges at Chestnut and Walnut Streets, the existing cap over I-95, and the Great Plaza.

Crews will have to build the cap over both I-95 and Columbus Boulevard and add fill to the Delaware River for landscaping. They will have to construct the buildings, amenities, and add landscaping.

Local businesses are expected to remain accessible. And pedestrians should still be able to walk to the waterfront via Dock Street and Market Street.

The new South Street bridge will connect cyclists and pedestrians to the newly completed Delaware River Trail. It would cross over I-95, run diagonally across Columbus Boulevard, and end on the waterfront next to the Chart House restaurant.

The existing Delaware River Trail runs along Philadelphia’s central Delaware River waterfront and would connect to the new park, as well as the existing Spruce Street Harbor Park, Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest and Winterfest area, and Cherry Street Pier.

Currently, the trail runs 3.3 miles from Pier 70 in South Philadelphia to Penn Treaty Park in Fishtown, including interim trail segments between Tasker Street and Washington Avenue. There are plans to connect it with the K&T Trail, which is expected to ultimately terminate at historic Glen Foerd mansion in Torresdale.