PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The long-awaited construction work to refurbish the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Bridge over the Schuylkill River is expected to begin next month.
“We’re finalizing the contracts with the successful bidder,” said Deputy Streets Department Commissioner Richard Montanez. “And if that all goes successful in January, you’ll start seeing some movement in February.”
Montanez said it was a cumbersome procurement process for them that just took longer than expected.
The MLK bridge, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has been closed to car traffic since March 2020, after inspectors found that part of the steel frame under the span was 75% deteriorated, making the repairs necessary.
Pedestrians and cyclists have been permitted to use the bridge but, once construction begins next month, they too will be detoured, Montanez said.
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Crews will rebuild the bridge deck, and the bridge’s structural supports.
“Not the pretty side, not what people see, but, basically, underneath the bridge, we’ll be repairing the beams, supports and things like that.”
The bridge will also have a wider sidewalk and railing that separates vehicle traffic from the pedestrian and bike lanes.
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The $20 million federally-funded project is expected to take two years, wrapping up in summer of 2025.
“The goal is, as soon as we open up MLK, obviously people are going to be upset, but we’re going to have to close Falls Bridge to then begin repairs on the Falls Bridge,” Montanez said.