I-95 Section BSR (I-95 BSR)
Cottman Avenue through Bridge Street
I-95 BSR will improve the existing interchange at Bridge Street, plus widen and reconstruct 2.1 miles of I-95 and its bridges from Levick Street to Orthodox Street, a section of the I-95 highway surface that runs from just south of the Cottman Avenue through the Bridge Street interchanges.
Status
I-95 BSR and I-95 BRI are currently progressing together through the Preliminary Engineering phase of project development. During this phase, conceptual plans are drawn up, traffic models are developed and all of the required preliminary studies (environmental, historical, archaeological, etc.) studies are completed.
The timeframe for completing Preliminary Engineering varies according to the complexity of the engineering that is required to attain the project's design goals and the potential impacts that the improvements will have on the natural, historical and sociological environments of the project area.
A Point of Access Study (POA) -- which looked in detail at how the existing ramp and ramp access system functions and what changes are needed to improve traffic flow to, from and around the Bridge Street and Betsy Ross Bridge interchanges -- was completed in 2008. The Study, one of the tasks of Preliminary Engineering, gives engineers the direction they need to complete to complete this phase of project development.
On completion and approval of the various components of the Preliminary Engineering stage by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the various local, state and federal agencies involved in the review process, the projects will advance separately to the Final Design stage in fall 2010.
During Final Design, construction plans and specifications are drawn up, numerous permits are secured and construction funding is identified and earmarked. Once all of the details of construction are in place, the project is placed on PennDOT's letting schedule, which announces the project to the contracting community. Final Design for a project of this size generally takes two-to-three years to complete.
In the Construction stage, PennDOT solicits prospective contractors to submit sealed bids to complete the work as outlined in the plans and specifications. PennDOT then lets the project, conducting a public session where all submitted bids are opened. Following this letting, agency specialists review the bid documents and award a contract to the lowest qualified bidder. Work begins work when PennDOT issues an official Notice to Proceed to the selected contractor.