Highway capping project moves to engineering phase following design study including two rounds of public input

PHILADELPHIA – The City, in partnership with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) and coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), today announced the selection of design and vision report for the Chinatown Stitch – a project exploring a highway cap for a portion of the Vine Street Expressway.

“Our Chinatown neighborhood is one of the most resilient in the City,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “Through its construction and in the years since then, the Vine Street Expressway has presented many headaches that have been difficult to deal with and address properly. This administration is proud to have begun the legwork for a project that will truly transform Chinatown through the vision of the members of this community.” 

The Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) and PCDC led a study to gather input from the Chinatown community and the general public over the course of the past year. Following two rounds of workshops and surveys in April and September, the two-block cap (Concept 1) was the highest ranked of three alternatives.

This design best achieves the goals and vision for the study, while minimizing the negative impacts. While it scored just slightly lower in preference during the survey period, the lower cost and quicker implementation helped set Concept 1 above Concept 2 in the overall rankings.

“The Vine Street Expressway remains a visible scar in our Chinatown neighborhood – and city at-large – as significant portions of the neighborhood were demolished and residents displaced for its construction,” said Mike Carroll, Deputy Managing Director for the City’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS). “The project is known as the Chinatown Stitch because it will sew the disconnected parts of Chinatown together with an inviting green space and safe street design, prioritizing the needs of the elderly, young, and those with disabilities.”

The Chinatown Stitch aims to reconnect Philadelphia’s Chinatown and Chinatown North neighborhoods, along with improving local roadways. The study’s objectives were to find an infrastructure solution to meet long-standing community desires to address the historic harm caused by the Vine Street Expressway with a technically and economically feasible highway cap. As the only neighborhood without a public green space, the Chinatown community expressed a need for a change that lessens air and noise pollution and increases pedestrian safety and public wellbeing.

“The Chinatown Stitch is an amazing reconnecting project where residents, immigrant business owners, and local and state officials are writing a new chapter in Chinatown’s history to undo the harm of I-676, which splits Chinatown,” said John Chin, Executive Director, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC).

The study area lies between 8th Street and Broad Street and from Callowhill Street to Race Street. The Vine Street Expressway is a 1.75-mile depressed limited-access highway that runs east-west through the center of the study area. It travels across the northern edge of Philadelphia’s central business district and resulted from more than sixty years of effort to connect I-95 and I-76 on either side of Center City.

“As Philadelphia’s only neighborhood without a public greenspace within its borders, the Chinatown community is overdue for an upgrade in the form of park and gathering space,” said Councilmember Mark Squilla, 1st District. “Our City’s Chinatown community is special and we hope to see it thrive for years to come with the Chinatown Stitch being a point of great pride.”

The Vine Street local alternatives were also evaluated in conjunction as there will be an opportunity to redesign the surface level streets as part of the overall project. The local lane alternatives were evaluated based on how they achieved the desired goals of the project while also considering the possible congestion impacts. Additional analysis and community engagement is needed before selecting a preferred option in 2024.

“PennDOT is looking forward to working with the partners on this project to realize the goals under the reconnecting communities initiative,” said District 6 Executive Lou Belmonte. “It is an opportunity for transportation infrastructure to help improve safety and quality of life.”

Project Timeline

  • Phase 1 – In Spring 2023, the study team sought to understand the Chinatown community’s needs through several public engagement opportunities including a vision and goals survey, pop-up events in the neighborhood, and a public community visioning workshop. Multiple national and local examples of highway caps and streetscapes were presented and discussed.
  • Phase 2 – In Summer 2023, based on community input, the study team developed a series of potential cap design concepts. In Fall 2023, the study team presented three potential design concepts for the cap through a second public survey, a series of community pop-up events, and a second community visioning workshop. PCDC hosted two workshops, specifically for Chinese speakers to discuss the design concepts and guide participants through the survey.
  • Phase 3 – Finally, the study team reviewed the latest community feedback and arrived at the community vision for the preferred design concept. In December 2023, the study team shared the community vision and released the final report and executive summary.

The City of Philadelphia released an RFP on September 25, 2023 to hire a consultant to conduct preliminary engineering for the project. The preliminary design and engineering will take place in 2024-2025. The City anticipates submitting an application for federal funding for the remaining engineering and construction funds of the Chinatown Stitch through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). If funding is received, the City anticipates that construction could start as early as 2027.

This preferred concept is only the start of the planning process. It sets the broad parameters for the project but leaves substantial additional questions that will need to be answered over the next two years. The City encourages residents and business owners to continue to follow the project page and provide feedback at future milestones throughout the engineering and construction process.

For more information, please visit the Chinatown Stitch project page.

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