The reopening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Bridge has been pushed back to September, following a rehabilitation project that had closed it to vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists for the past two years.
Repairs to the bridge, which spans the Schuylkill River near the Philadelphia Museum of Art and connects MLK Drive to Eakins Oval, began in March 2023 and were previously estimated to be completed by spring 2025, according to the Philadelphia Department of Streets. The project involves replacing and widening the MLK Drive Bridge deck to meet standards, ensure structural integrity and accommodate a side path for pedestrians and cyclists. The Streets Department's latest update, posted to Instagram on Friday, noted that the delay is due to cold temperatures this winter that affected construction.
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"Project timelines are always subject to change and this past winter was one of the coldest in recent years, slowing some steel and concrete work," the department said. "With warm weather finally in the forecast the concrete deck pouring continued this week on the east side of the bridge."
The winter's low temperatures caused the deck pour operations to be pushed back until more desirable temperatures could be reached, according to the Streets Department. Poured sections of the bridge's concrete deck must undergo a 14-day curing process to ensure it reaches the necessary compressive strength. The concrete is kept wet by weep hoses and burlap covers, and thermal blankets and poly sheeting are used to retain moisture and keep the concrete within curing temperature specifications. Additional steel repair work was also performed after removing the old bridge deck, according to the Streets Department.
John Kopp/PhillyVoice
The MLK Drive Bridge is expected to reopen in September following construction delays. Above, crews worked Monday on the bridge.
During her budget address Thursday, Mayor Cherelle Parker confirmed the estimated September reopening for the bridge.
"I am proud to report that once the Martin Luther King Bridge behind the Art Museum is completed, that Martin Luther King Drive will fully reopen," Parker said. "You'll be able to drive straight to the parkway. If you live in Northwest Philadelphia or in West Philadelphia, you know how valuable that route is to get downtown. So we are really, really excited. They're saying it'll be done by September."
In 2021, inspectors found that the steel framing of the bridge — which opened in 1966 and is 690 feet long — was about 75% deteriorated and would require extensive repair work. The work was delayed several times before starting in 2023. The value of the construction contract with Haines & Kibblehouse, Inc. contractors is $20.1 million and is being funded using federal dollars, according to the Streets Department.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city shut down MLK Drive, including the bridge, to vehicles for 17 months. This created a car-free destination for cyclists and runners. The city had planned to reopen the entire MLK Drive to motorists until the extent of the bridge deterioration was discovered. Instead, the section containing the MLK Drive Bridge remained closed except to cyclists and pedestrians.
Once bridge repairs began, MLK Drive closed to all users from the bridge to Sweetbriar Drive. The portion of the Schuylkill River Trail that passes beneath MLK Drive Bridge also closed during repairs.
John Kopp/PhillyVoice
Construction on the MLK Drive Bridge continued Monday. The bridge's reopening has been pushed back to September because of delays due to cold weather.
Chris Puchalsky, director of policy and strategic initiatives for the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability, said in 2023 that the city would begin rehabilitation of the Falls Bridge after the MLK Drive Bridge project is finished. The projected start date for that project is now "Spring 2027," the Streets Department said Tuesday. The Falls Bridge crosses over the Schuylkill River to connect MLK Drive and Kelly Drive. It will be closed to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians when the repair project begins, and detours will be communicated closer to the project's start date.
The Falls Bridge rehabilitation project is currently in the design phase. The project is "focused on preserving the historic bridge structure and carefully planning how construction will take place over the waterway, while minimizing the duration of the bridge closure," the Streets Department said. The project's timeline could therefore change based on necessary historic and environmental reviews and approvals that must be completed before construction can begin.
