Latest South Street Bridge news

Dear Neighbors and Friends of the South Street Bridge:

Closure Date

Well, the time has finally come!  The South Street Bridge (including the on and off ramps to the expressway) will close Monday, December 8th at 9:30 am.  Many people have asked if they will be able to continue to walk/bike across the Bridge.  This will not be possible since the Bridge will be completely demolished before being rebuilt.

One Final Walk/Ride Across the Bridge

Please join us at 8:45 am for one final walk/bike ride across the Bridge.  We’ll meet on the south side of the Bridge at Hollenbeck Hall.  Note that we must be off the Bridge by 9:30 am.  If you can join us, please RSVP to marcia@mvwGroup.com.

Information During Bridge Closure

For information about the Bridge, including detour routes, please visit www.phila.gov/southstreetbridge.  If there are problems that arise during construction, click on “report a problem related to construction” in the lower right hand corner of this website.

Public Transportation During Bridge Closure
For those of you who have been walking, biking and/or driving and want to take mass transit, the following options are available:

    * SEPTA has recently changed the Route 12.  Those runs that used to go into West Philadelphia via the Walnut Street Bridge now run over the University Avenue Bridge.  If you pick up the bus southbound on 23rd Street or Grays Ferry, it will drop off near HUP, CHOP, along Spruce between 33rd and 38th and by the VA hospital.  These runs leave 23rd & Spruce at 7:45, 8:15 and 8:45 am (they should be marked for University City).  There are 4 busses in the evening from about 4:30 – 5:30 PM.  This precludes a need to transfer and avoids the Walnut Street Bridge.
    * If you are heading to the north side of the U of P campus or to the Presbyterian Hospital area, taking the Route 7 bus north to the subway surface lines might be a good option, as the rail lines will run faster than busses.
    * The westernmost stop for the 40 is now at 22nd and Lombard Streets, as it detours from there to the Walnut Street Bridge.
    * Walking up to Walnut, you can pick up the 21 & 42.

We are continuing to see if we can work out additional options and are aware that many people need to get to work at 7:00 am.  We will keep you posted

Next Steps

After the first of the year we will design a process for considering changes to the portion of the towers above the road deck.  We will keep you informed of opportunities for participation.

Thank you for your continued interest in the future of the South Street Bridge.

Best regards,

Jim Campbell                           Marcia V. Wilkof

South Street Bridge Coalition     Democratic Ward Leader, 30th Ward

1504 South Street                     1521 Naudain Street

Philadelphia, PA 19146               Philadelphia, PA 19146

1.215.545.5923                          1.215.731.9821

jcampbell@campbellthomas.com   marcia@mvwGroup.com