Interstate 676 bridge construction project begins overnights in Philadelphia

Detours will begin Monday night for a major PennDOT construction project in Center City Philadelphia to replace some crumbling bridges over the Vine Street Expressway.

This phase of the work is part of a more than $60 million project to replace seven bridges crossing Interstate 676, said PennDOT spokesman Gene Blaum.  The spans between 18th and 22nd streets were built in the 1950s.

“The first bridge to go under construction in the spring is the Family Court pedestrian bridge,” he said.

The work will result in some detours and interruptions to I-676 traffic in the evenings and early-morning hours.

Motorists “will incur overnight lane closures from Broad Street to 23rd Street,” he said. “The travel lane will also be reduced slightly from 12 feet wide to 11 feet wide, and the outside shoulder along eastbound and westbound 676 will be closed.”

Blaum says the contractor will have to shut down construction for the pope’s visit in September.