On Tuesday, the 2 block concept for the highway cap design, along with a vision report was released by The City of Philadelphia, in conjunction with The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Input from the Chinatown community and the general public was gathered by The Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) and the PCDC throughout the last year at public engagement meetings and pop-ups to help come to the consensus.
The Chinatown and Chinatown North neighborhoods have been dealing with the dangers, inconvenience, and barrier to growth that the Vine Street Expressway has posed since its construction in the 1980’s. Mike Carroll, Deputy Managing Director of OTIS stated that, “The project is known as the Chinatown Stitch because it will sew the disconnected parts of Chinatown together with an inviting green space and safe street design, prioritizing the needs of the elderly, young, and those with disabilities.”
Feedback from the Chinatown community expressed a need for a public space encouraging better public wellbeing. Along with reduced noise and air pollution, the highway cap and local Vine Street connections design is creating an opportunity for “an amazing reconnecting project where residents, immigrant business owners, and local and state officials are writing a new chapter in Chinatown’s history to undo the harm of I-676, which splits Chinatown,” said John Chin, Executive Director, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC).
Though the highway cap concept has been decided on, the City is encouraging local business owners and residents to continue providing feedback throughout the process. The RFP released in September of 2023 is intended to find a consultant to do the preliminary design and engineering throughout 2024 and 2025. If the City is granted funds through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), construction could start as soon as 2027.
Evaluation of the Vine Street Local street design will extend into 2024 as the project moves forward as well. Alternative designs can be found on pages 51-59 of the report including the potential to add separated bike lanes and a road diet to Vine Street Local.
We have been encouraged throughout this process with the focus on collecting feedback from the Chinatown and Chinatown North communities and look forward to more opportunities for neighbors to give input on the surface level changes.