Delaware dredge bids | Barnes bankruptcy | PA oks public-private road repair, no funds | Independence Hall

On July 10 he Army Corps of Engineers will open bids to deepen the Delaware River’s shipping channel, reports Delaware Online. These bids will be for dredging the channel between the Walt Whitman Bridge and Airport, and next month the contract should be awarded. A coalition of environmental groups have appealed to prevent the project, but the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has not yet ruled.

The Barnes wasn’t bankrupt when it appealed to break Dr. Barnes’ trust a decade ago. The Associated Press reports that Kimberly Camp, former Barnes president and chief operating officer, wrote in a blog post: “At the time the petition was filed, the Barnes Foundation had a cash surplus and we had no debt — none. But, saying so made the rescue so much more gallant.” Friends of the Barnes wants to reopen their lawsuits challenging the move of the Barnes collection from Merion. Ralph Wellington, the Barnes’ legal counsel, said that at the time temporary, restricted cash infusions kept the Foundation in the black.

There is still no funding to repair Pennsylvania’s crumbling roads and bridges, but state lawmakers approved legislation that would allow public-private partnerships to work on big transportation projects together, reports the Inquirer. Pennsylvania has a $3.5 billion annual transportation funding deficit and more structurally deficient bridges than any other state.

In this week’s Look Up! column, Alan Jaffe is thinking Spirit of ’76 and focuses his gaze on Independence Hall’s architectural history and adaptations, including carpenter Edmund Wooly’s eight-day clock on the building’s western side. Independence Hall is a World Heritage Site, and an extensive tower restoration project was completed this year.

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