What To Expect from the I-95 South Closure This Weekend

For several months, PennDOT has been at work preparing for the construction of a $329 million, 12-acre park over I-95 at Penn’s Landing.

Since the park is literally being built over a highway, rerouting traffic is part of the construction plan. Demolition work on the project has led to a number of interstate detours, including the closure of a stretch of I-95 North three weeks ago.

This weekend, an approximately 2.5-mile stretch of I-95 South will close from late Saturday afternoon to early Monday morning.

What’s Closed, and When?

Before the full southbound closure starts this weekend, the stretch of I-95 South between the Vine Street Expressway (I-676) and Walnut Street will be reduced to just one lane from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Once 5 p.m. on Saturday hits, the stretch of southbound highway between the I-676/Callowhill Street exit and the Morris Street on-ramp will be closed, along with four ramps:

The left lane of I-95 North between Walnut and Chestnut streets will also be closed during the weekend demolition work.

Almost everything is scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday — the big exception is the Market Street on-ramp, which PennDOT plans to keep closed until March 11.

What Should I Do If I Need To Use I-95?

You’ll probably want to avoid driving near the closure this weekend, if you possibly can. PennDOT expects “significant delays and backups” on both the interstate and city streets near the work area.

But if you do need to travel down I-95 south of this area, there are a couple different detours that will get you where you need to go, depending on what direction you’re coming from and how far around the closure you want to go. Check out the map below for some options recommended by PennDOT.