Lincoln Drive construction to begin in spring 2017

Posted 9/21/16

Lincoln Drive will receive extensive reconstruction between Wayne and Ridge Avenues. (Image from Streets Department report on the project) by Sue Ann Rybak The Philadelphia Streets Department will …

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Lincoln Drive construction to begin in spring 2017

Posted
Lincoln Drive will receive extensive reconstruction between Wayne and Ridge Avenues. (Image from Streets Department report on the project) Lincoln Drive will receive extensive reconstruction between Wayne and Ridge Avenues. (Image from Streets Department report on the project)

by Sue Ann Rybak

The Philadelphia Streets Department will begin its $7.6 million construction project on Lincoln Drive in the Spring of 2017, according to Darin Gatti, chief engineer for the department. Construction and repairs to Lincoln Drive will take place between Ridge and Wayne avenues.

Gatti said his department is working closely with PennDOT and will not start construction until after the Walnut Lane Bridge is reopened. He added that the department has not set a specific date because it is waiting for two other projects to be completed.

“The Water Department and PGW are currently making repairs and doing construction at the northern end of Lincoln Drive,” he said. “It's above our work area, but we want to make sure we don't create a super mess. Sometimes, it's better to wait a couple weeks for someone else to finish a project, so you don't create too much of a problem.”

The scope of the Lincoln Drive project includes resurfacing and applying pavement surface treatments, replacing the median and guide rail, installing new pedestrian connections, improving drainage on the drive, installing new traffic signals and completing work on the Rittenhousetown retaining wall.

“There are several issues that need to be addressed along Lincoln Drive, including safety and maintenance,” Gatti said. “There are several springs in the area that cause water to flood and deteriorate the road.”

He added that at one spot in particular, “water routinely runs off the hill at such a rate that it turns into a waterfall, causing the roadway to be closed several times a year.”

“We want to try and capture that water to reduce its effect on the roadway,” he said.

He said several years ago, emergency construction was done on the Rittenhousetown retaining wall. “There is a tributary to the creek there that runs right next to the roadway, and several years ago it was undermined to such a point that it was on the verge of failure,” Gatti said. “The wall right next to the tributary supports Lincoln Drive. If the wall fell, we would lose Lincoln Drive. That would really be a traffic problem, so we put in tie backs to stabilize the wall. Now, it looks like a Frankenstein wall.”

He added that the Streets Department recently met with the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department to discuss architectural styles and patterns to improve the appearance of the wall because it is located in a historic district.

“We are also investigating the number of crashes on Lincoln Drive,” he said. “We are currently in the process of mapping out the crash history on the roadway.”

He said they are examining the locations and types of crashes that are occurring, in order to limit the number of accidents.

“Widening the road is not an option because the space isn't there,” Gatti said. “The physical constraints and the volume of traffic that road handles pretty much prohibits reducing the number of lanes in order to create a shoulder. We are looking at ways we can reduce the speed limit on that road, because people drive above the speed limit.

“However, we have to be very careful about how we apply these things, because it is a high volume road. For example, you can't put a speed bump at the beginning of a curb, because if someone hits the bump too fast they can lose control of the vehicle. So whatever you do to slow traffic down, you have to be very careful not to cause an accident.

“During construction, closures will be limited to nighttime and weekends. The intent is to maintain traffic on Lincoln Drive during the morning and evening rush hours,” he said.

Gatti said the Streets Department will be setting up a website just for the Lincoln Drive project, so people can get up-to-date information on when and where the closures are going to be. He added that people can also email complaints or questions they have regarding the project directly from the website.

He said he realized that the project was going to create some inconvenience, but he hoped that in the end Lincoln Drive would be a safer road.

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