User:Dough4872/sandbox

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History

Planning and construction

1973 view of the split of the Schuylkill Expressway and Vine Street Expressway- Note I-76 follows the Vine Street Expressway and I-676 the Schuylkill Expressway
2022 view of the Schuylkill Expressway eastbound at I-676/US 30 (Vine Street Expressway) in Center City Philadelphia

Plans for a limited-access highway along the west bank of the Schuylkill River originated in 1932, as part of a proposed cars-only parkway system for the Philadelphia area similar to the contemporary system being built in New York City. The Valley Forge Parkway was to have run from Fairmount Park to Valley Forge State Park (now Valley Forge National Historical Park) with plans for a later extension to Reading via Pottstown. However, planning for the proposed parkway system stalled and the plan was eventually abandoned.[1]

Planning for today's expressway began in 1947, when the city of Philadelphia approved plans to develop a highway connecting the city with the terminus of the planned Philadelphia Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Valley Forge.[2] The highway was designed by engineers Michael Rapuano, who had previously aided in the design of the Garden State Parkway, and Bill Allen of Gannett Fleming.[3] The new expressway largely followed the earlier planned parkway route from Valley Forge to Fairmount Park, while also extending into southern Philadelphia and across the Delaware River into New Jersey. Two alternatives were proposed south of University City: one routing would continue along the west bank of the river into Southwest Philadelphia to its confluence near Philadelphia International Airport, where it would tunnel underneath the Delaware to Paulsboro, New Jersey; the other would cross the Schuylkill south of University City and bisect South Philadelphia, crossing the Delaware River into Gloucester City, New Jersey. Planned expansions of the airport in the path of the former proposal led to adoption of the routing through South Philadelphia.[2]

Construction of the road began in 1949. Plans called for the Schuylkill Expressway to run between City Line Avenue and University Avenue in Philadelphia. Extensions from the Schuylkill Expressway would connect to Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia and Vine Street in Center City Philadelphia. The Valley Forge Expressway was planned to link the Schuylkill Expressway at City Line Avenue to the Philadelphia Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in King of Prussia. At University Avenue, the Schuylkill Expressway would connect to a highway running along 34th Street and Vare Avenue to South Philadelphia. The expressway, which would be between four and six lanes wide, was to be built by the state at a cost of $77 million.[4] In December 1949, it was determined that the state would pay for the cost of building the entire Schuylkill Expressway rather than the city of Philadelphia. Originally, it had been thought that the state would only pay for building the road between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and City Line Avenue. Effective January 1, 1950, the state would assume the cost of building the Schuylkill Expressway in exchange for turning over to the city of Philadelphia maintenance of 69.25 mi (111.45 km) of state highway within the city.[5]

The portion of the highway west of US 202 in King of Prussia was opened on November 20, 1950, as part of the turnpike's Philadelphia Extension.[6] The section from King of Prussia to Montgomery Avenue in Gulph Mills opened in October 1951.[7] The portion of the highway from Gulph Mills to Elizabeth Street in West Conshohocken opened a year later, on December 8, 1952.[8] The section between West Conshohocken and City Line Avenue opened on September 1, 1954.[9] Following the opening of this section of the Schuylkill Expressway, there were large traffic jams on roads near the eastern terminus at City Line Avenue due to the roads being inadequate to handle the increased traffic.[10] The expressway between City Line Avenue and Montgomery Drive opened to traffic on May 18, 1956.[11] The Walt Whitman Bridge and its approach road opened on May 15, 1957, with a dedication ceremony held.[12] On November 25, 1958, the Schuylkill Expressway opened between Montgomery Drive and Vine Street, including the Vine Street bridge over the Schuylkill River providing the expressway a connection to 22nd and Winter streets.[13] The highway was opened to traffic between Vine Street and South Street on October 23, 1959, months ahead of schedule.[14] On November 25, 1959, the entire expressway was complete with the opening of the segment between South Street and the Walt Whitman Bridge approach.[15][16]

Route numbers

Pennsylvania Route 43

LocationKing of Prussia–Philadelphia
Length27.5 mi (44.3 km)
Existed1951–1964

Interstate 80S

LocationKing of Prussia–Philadelphia
Existed1958–1964

Interstate 680

LocationPhiladelphia
Existed1958–1964

The Schuylkill Expressway was initially designated as PA 43 and was cosigned with I-80S between King of Prussia and Center City Philadelphia and I-680 between Center City Philadelphia and the Walt Whitman Bridge when the Interstate Highway System was designated in 1956.[17][18] Prior to the roadways being signed as Interstates, I-395 was to be designated along the Schuylkill Expressway from the Vine Street Expressway to the Walt Whitman Bridge; however, I-680 was preferred to be the final designation for this route. On April 16, 1963, Pennsylvania wanted to renumber its Interstate numbers. Part of this was the renumbering from I-80S into I-76, and all of its auxiliary routes into I-x76. The Federal Highway Administration approved the request on February 26, 1964. As a result, I-80S became I-76 and I-680 became I-676.[18] In addition to this renumbering, the PA 43 designation was removed from the Schuylkill Expressway.[19] In 1972, the I-76 and the I-676 designations were switched onto their current routes, with the entire length of the Schuylkill Expressway designated as I-76.[20]

Improvements

Immediately after its completion, operational studies performed on the Schuylkill Expressway found that the route would be unable to cope with the area's growing traffic demands, due to the many substandard design elements and compromises incorporated to cope with the rugged, difficult routing of the road. In 1962, plans were announced for a parallel expressway along the east bank of the Schuylkill River known as the Manayunk Expressway; however, these plans were quickly withdrawn due to substantial opposition.[21] An alternative plan was then introduced to widen the entire highway to eight lanes in time for the United States Bicentennial in 1976. The proposal called for building the four eastbound lanes on top of the High Line railroad tracks to the west of 30th Street Station while keeping the westbound lanes in the current location. However, these plans were also shelved due to local disapproval including from the Philadelphia Bulletin newspaper, who opppsed the route along the High Line as they felt it would disrupt their property.[3] A scaled-down widening project was successfully undertaken from 1969 to 1972 to widen a short section of the road to six lanes through Fairmount Park.[3][22]

On March 1, 1985, the first phase of a reconstruction project on the Schuylkill Expressway began that reduced the highway to one lane in each direction between US 202 in King of Prussia and I-476 in West Conshohocken and between I-676/US 30 and University Avenue in Philadelphia in addition to closing several ramps along this stretch. Under this construction project, the steel median barrier was replaced with a concrete barrier in Montgomery County, road signs were replaced, the interchange with US 202 and PA 363 (Gulph Road) in King of Prussia was rebuilt, and the ramp between westbound I-676/US 30 and the eastbound Schuylkill Expressway was improved. As a result of the construction project, drivers were encouraged to take alternate routes. SEPTA offered additional bus, train, and trolley service and expanded parking lots at train stations in areas near the Schuylkill Expressway.[23] The first phase of the reconstruction project along the highway took nine months to complete, with traffic congestion from the construction less than anticipated as many drivers avoided the highway. On January 15, 1986, the first part of the second phase of the reconstruction project along the Schuylkill Expressway began between Belmont Avenue in Lower Merion Township and US 1 (Roosevelt Expressway) in Philadelphia, with several ramp closings. Drivers were again encouraged to use alternate routes while SEPTA offered additional train service on lines near the Schuylkill Expressway.[24] The second part of the second phase began on March 1, 1986, which extended construction along the Schuylkill Expressway between I-476 in West Conshohocken and I-676/US 30 in Philadelphia. As a result, there were additional ramp closures and traffic was reduced to one lane in each direction along this stretch.[25]

Schuylkill Expressway westbound past the I-476 interchange in West Conshohocken

In the almost seven decades since its opening, congestion on the expressway has steadily increased. Plans to expand the expressway to eight lanes by building an upper deck, including high-occupancy toll lanes, were advocated by Pennsylvania House Speaker John Perzel in 2004, but never came to fruition.[26] PennDOT completed a scaled back version of a $23.7-million (equivalent to $32.9 million in 2023[27]) project to add 29 webcams on the Schuylkill Expressway between the Conshohocken Curve and Passyunk Avenue in 2008.[28]

On the afternoon of June 8, 2011, a section of the Schuylkill Expressway near Grays Ferry Avenue buckled from temperatures around 100 °F (38 °C), causing lane closures. The closed lane of the road was later reopened temporarily until full repairs could be made.[29] Exactly three months later, on September 8, 2011, heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Lee caused a mudslide by Girard Avenue, blocking traffic.[30]

In May 2011, the new westbound entrance at South Gulph and South Henderson roads in King of Prussia was completed and in November the westbound exit was completed. The new interchange cost $10.5 million (equivalent to $14 million in 2023[27]) and used money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[31]

PennDOT has installed variable speed limit signs along the Schuylkill Expressway, where the speed limit can be lowered due to factors such as inclement weather or accidents as well as to manage traffic flow. The variable speed limit signs were activated on April 8, 2021.[32] The project incorporates variable-message signs to alert motorists to traffic congestion ahead. It could also coordinate with SEPTA to provide motorists with real-time mass transit information to give commuters an option to exit the highway and use public transportation to finish their trip at some point. There are also future plans to coordinate traffic signals on roads leading to the Schuylkill Expressway and install ramp meters on entrance ramps to the highway. PennDOT is in the preliminary stages of studying plans to use the right shoulder of the Schuylkill Expressway as a travel lane in certain sections during peak periods; construction of these lanes is not expected to begin until sometime in the mid-2020s.[33]

  1. ^ Regional Plan of the Philadelphia Tri-State District. Regional Planning Federation. 1932.
  2. ^ a b Philadelphia Expressway Program. Philadelphia City Planning Commission. 1947.
  3. ^ a b c Bowden, Mark (April 17, 1983). "The Schuylkill - The road that can't be fixed". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 489-490.
  4. ^ Williams, Edgar (February 19, 1950). "$260,000,000 Traffic Solution". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 145.
  5. ^ McCullough, John M. (December 7, 1949). "State Will Foot Entire Expense Of Expressway". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1, 45.
  6. ^ "100 Miles Added to Pennsylvania Turnpike As Eastern Section Opens Near Philadelphia". The New York Times. November 21, 1950. p. 14.
  7. ^ "Scarcity of Bridge Steel Expected to Delay Completion of Valley Forge Expressway". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 22, 1951. p. 19.
  8. ^ "Express Highway Section Opened". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 9, 1952. p. 33. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "State Police Plan 24-Hour Patrol as Expressway Opens Today From W. Conshohocken to City Line". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 1, 1954. p. 35.
  10. ^ "Expressway Bottleneck a Warning, Not a Surprise". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 3, 1954. p. 10.
  11. ^ "Expressway Set For Extension". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 17, 1956. p. 15.
  12. ^ Rosen, Frank (May 15, 1957). "Walt Whitman Bridge: Aid to Traffic-Tangled Valley". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 3.
  13. ^ Gilson, James T. (November 26, 1958). "River Expressway Opens With Jams And Hitches". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1.
  14. ^ "PRR-South St. Expressway Link Is Opened Early". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 24, 1959. p. 11.
  15. ^ "Expressway Link to Open". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 24, 1959. p. 35. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "Express Section To Bridge Open". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 26, 1959. p. 53.
  17. ^ Official Map of Pennsylvania (back) (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1960. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  18. ^ a b "Was I-76 Numbered to Honor Philadelphia for Independence Day, 1776?". Ask the Rambler. Federal Highway Administration. January 18, 2005. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
  19. ^ Official Map of Pennsylvania (back) (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1970. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  20. ^ U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee (June 20, 1972). "U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee" (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway Officials. p. 425. Retrieved October 16, 2014 – via Wikisource.
  21. ^ "Survey Ordered for New Expressway". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 17, 1962. p. 31.
  22. ^ Kohler, Saul (September 5, 1968). "Extra Lanes Planned for Expressway". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1.
  23. ^ Nussbaum, Paul (February 24, 1985). "A survival guide to the Schuylkill". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1-B, 10-B.
  24. ^ Caba, Susan (January 12, 1986). "Caution: Expressway work ahead". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1-A, 14-A.
  25. ^ Caba, Susan (March 2, 1986). "Schuylkill roadwork intensifies". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1-B, 4-B.
  26. ^ Cattabiani, Mario F.; Downs, Jere (February 25, 2004). "Overhead lanes for Schuylkill and I-95? - Those, plus Roosevelt Blvd. underpasses, are fancied by House Speaker John Perzel. The ideas are in early stages". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. B01.
  27. ^ a b Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  28. ^ Mucha, Peter (March 14, 2008). "PennDot readies Web cams for Schuylkill Expressway - By fall, there are expected to be more than 225 traffic video cameras in the region". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. B04.
  29. ^ McCarthy, Kevin (June 8, 2011). "Excessive Heat Causes I-76 to Buckle: PENNDot". Philadelphia, PA: WCAU-TV. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  30. ^ Nussbaum, Paul (September 9, 2011). "Flooding makes for rough going on Philly roads and rails". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. A11.
  31. ^ Nussbaum, Paul (November 4, 2011). "New I-76 ramp opens in King of Prussia". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  32. ^ Chirico, Jeff (April 8, 2021). "PennDOT activates variable speed limit signs along Schuylkill Expressway to help balance traffic". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  33. ^ Simansky, Matt; Taff, Brian (April 30, 2019). "What you can do to improve congestion on the Schuylkill Expressway". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
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