Chinatown Stitch project provides a plan to reconnect the neighborhood
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Thanks to a $1.8 million grant, Philadelphia city officials are starting to explore options for a cap over the Vine Street Expressway between 8th and Broad Streets.
Aptly named the "Chinatown Stitch", the project hopes to reconnect the neighborhood devastated when the underground 676 highway was built in the 1980s.
The highway separated the neighborhood North and South with the local church and school on the North side of the highway and the south side populated by businesses and restaurants.
The planning stages for the stitch have explored cap options that include parking, housing, green space, basketball courts and even swimming pools, reclaiming some of the land lost.
Planners hope the cap will also serve as a connection between North and South parts of the neighborhood, cut down on noise pollution from the highway and potentially slow down the dangerous traffic on the local lanes of Vine Street.
To get involved, visit the Chinatown Stitch website and take the survey.
