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Martin Luther King Drive Bridge officially reopened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon, led by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker. About 70 bikers and advocates came out to celebrate and participate in an inaugural ride across the renovated bridge.

“This has been a long time coming,” Parker told the crowd assembled at the east end of the bridge.

The $20.1 million rehabilitation of MLK Drive Bridge began a little over two years ago, in March 2023. The reopening will restore a key connection for commuters and cyclists with West Philadelphia.

Renovations to the structure include removing a vehicle lane, bringing the total down from four to three, and adding a 10 1/2-foot-wide bike path alongside those lanes.

The construction phase of the bridge created 200 jobs, Parker said. The repairs were also fully paid for by federal funds.

The Philadelphia mayor described the 700-foot bridge, which spans the Schuylkill River near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as “safer, cleaner, greener, with economic opportunity for all.”

The bridge will reopen for vehicles on Monday, while bikes and pedestrians will have exclusive access to the overpass this weekend.

Cyclists and advocates celebrated the renovations to the bridge, bringing safety improvements for recreationalists and commuters.

Ed Dougherty stood on a walkway overlooking the ceremony. The Logan Square resident said he’s very aware of bike issues in the city and believes that the reconstruction done on the bridge was “exceptional.”

“The whole idea of the bike lane there being widened as it is, fully protected as it is, it’s amazing,” Dougherty said. “It’s a model for how it should be done everywhere.”

Among the organizations represented at the event, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia had a strong presence. John Boyle, research director at the organization, spoke to the work done on the MLK Drive overpass.

Some cyclists worried that, after renovations, the bridge would open to vehicles on weekends, which would be a break from a 30-year history, but Boyle said that this would not be the case. The whole of MLK Drive, including the bridge, will be closed to vehicles on weekends from 7 a.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Monday until November.

The city announced the roadway will also have extended holiday closures this year. For the rest of the season, MLK Drive will be closed to vehicles on these dates:

• Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Saturday to Monday, Oct. 11-13)
• Veterans Day (Saturday to Tuesday, Nov. 8-11)
• Thanksgiving (Thursday to Sunday, Nov. 27-30)

These closures will also be full-day shutdowns of car traffic. Before the pandemic, according to Boyle, the road would sometimes be closed to vehicles on weekends from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., but then reopen to traffic. The research director said that this arrangement led to two cyclist deaths in the Sweetbriar area over the years.

While the city has made strides to increase safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists, Boyle said there is still room for improvement.

“While we appreciate the improvements to the path and the bridge, I think more needs to be done to improve not only MLK but all the internal roads in Fairmount Park to make them safer for bicyclists and pedestrians,” Boyle said.

This call for safety in Fairmount Park comes weeks after BCGP member Harry Fenton was killed in a hit-and-run crash while biking through the park.

Charles Schulte, another member of BCGP, shouted towards the mayor from the expanded pedestrian pathway next to MLK Drive Bridge. He said he’s happy with the project, but thought the mayor wasn’t taking the safety of Philadelphians who ride bikes or any other form of active transportation seriously enough.

“I wish she would do more to support actual protection for bike lanes in the city, not just flex posts, not just paint,” Schulte said. “Actual concrete.”

With the completion of renovations to the MLK Drive Bridge, next up are repairs to another overpass in the city — but not until the end of 2026.

The Falls Bridge in Northwest Philadelphia will be undergoing repairs next year. The steel truss bridge is in “poor condition,” according to a 2023 PennDOT 2023 inspection.

Boyle said that BCGP was already advocating for an alternative while the Falls Bridge is being renovated.

“We are working with the city to ensure a proper detour is created for the closing of the Falls Bridge,” he said.