PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Look for slow traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway on Friday as PennDOT repairs storm drains along the highway.
It's not unusual for traffic to jam up on the westbound Schuylkill Expressway between the Roosevelt Expressway and Lincoln and Kelly drives. But on Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., it could be especially slow as the right lane closes so crews can repair or replace inlets along the highway.
PennDOT spokesman Brad Rudolph says that means midday traffic will squeeze down to one westbound lane. "The ramps will be open,” he said. “It shouldn't really have an impact to where you're going, whether you're taking U.S. 1 North/Roosevelt Expressway or whether you're taking Lincoln Drive/Kelly Drive. Both those exits will be open."
The work is part of a $38 million project to repair more than 20 bridges and resurface five miles of the Schuylkill.
“We have a bridge and pavement preservation project which is about to hit its second year, basically resurfacing [I-76],” Rudolph said, “all the travel lanes between [I-676] and pretty much Belmont Avenue."
Rudolph advises westbound midday drivers to allow for a little extra travel time.