The 734-foot stretch of Broad Street between Crescent Drive and Intrepid Avenue is known as the 'quay wall'. The bridge, constructed in the late 1800s, is the main access in and out of the Navy Yard. Broad Street was built right over it.
Now it's time for an upgrade for the bridge, which is more than 120 years old.
"We have a 120-year-old timber structure that's been submerged in the Delaware River for many, many, many years, and that was really starting to deteriorate," said Kate McNamara, senior vice president for PIDC at the Navy Yard.
McNamara of PIDC, the Navy Yard's master developer, said this project is a joint venture with multiple entities including the City of Philadelphia.
The cost swelled to $19 million, in part due to pandemic-related supply chain issues.
PennDOT and the U.S. Economic Development Administration were brought in because the project is expensive and complex.
"We have to completely reconstruct the structure. We have to move it 13 feet inland to make sure that it's really solid, and it's able to support the level of traffic that is going to be coming," said McNamara.
When it's finished, there will be four lanes for vehicles, a two-way raised bike lane, and a new, scenic pedestrian plaza overlooking the Reserve Basin.
"It's just a beautiful site. It's like a city in a city," said Mayor Jim Kenney.
McNamara emphasized that this project is especially critical given the continued redevelopment of the Navy Yard: now with 150 companies and 15,000 employees.
The recently announced additional $6 billion of investment means even more companies, more jobs, more residential units...and more traffic.
"Now we'll have more individuals that are able to use this bridge to come into the Navy Yard. We'll have new bike lanes, but also increase traffic. And if we're going to continue to move the Navy Yard forward, we have to invest in the infrastructure," said City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson.
This project is expected to be completed next summer.