Commuting underway on Weave Bridge

Jan. 26

By Brandon Gollotti
For PlanPhilly
Check out our current on-site reporting and photo coverage of the progress being made in the construction of the Weave Bridge on the University of Pennsylvania campus.

The Weave Bridge, one of the first PennConnects projects to be started, is now completely accessible to the public and students allowing its users to travel from Penn’s main campus to the Schuylkill River athletic fields and the Hollenback Center in the east. 

The bridge itself is a mélange of materials bridging the gap over Amtrak rails offering views of both the nearly completely destroyed South Street Bridge and of Center City.  

Both approaches to the bridge are bicycle friendly; the west approach is a temporary wood walkway that curves around a soccer field to the solid, steel and concrete frame of the Weave bridge, while the east approach is a complete concrete ramp topped with an asphalt layer. Although both approaches are functional, neither are finalized. A security camera is also installed at the east approach.

The multi-million dollar project, designed by renowned British engineer Cecil Balmond and built by architects ARUP/AGU and Amman & Whitney, is a unique blend of metal, wood and polymers that spans the Amtrak corridor connecting both sides of the campus. The on-site construction team is headed up by Lorenzon Bros.

The Weave Bridge is a project in Penn Connects, a land use and urban design campus plan designed to:
1. Create civic and open space;
2. Identify potential use and development zones in the city;
3. Improve physical connections for pedestrians, automobiles, and bicycles in order to create a more exciting and involved commuting experience.

Contact the reporter at brandongollotti@gmail.com