Two 19th century bridges over the Wissahickon Creek in Northwest Philadelphia will receive upgrades to protect from chronic flooding
PHILADELPHIA — The City of Philadelphia has been awarded $14,245,000 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Discretionary Grant Program to repair and upgrade two bridges in Northwest Philadelphia.
The program – overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) – is designed to strengthen surface-transportation systems making them more resilient to extreme weather events worsened by the climate crisis, flooding, sea-level rise, heat waves, and other disasters.
“This is tremendous news for Philadelphia, and for residents and others who travel our roads in Northwest Philadelphia on their way to and from Wissahickon Valley Park, a beautiful section of our City,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “I want to thank the Federal Highway Administration and our entire federal delegation for their work on this $14.2 million grant to rehabilitate two bridges over Wissahickon Creek. Philadelphia has received over $536 million in Federal funds for badly-needed infrastructure improvements and other needs under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. We’re proud of our intergovernmental relationships and collaboration and what it means for every Philadelphian.”
The Bells Mill Road and Valley Green Road Bridges over Wissahickon Creek are currently rated as being in poor condition by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). These structures will be rehabilitated and enhanced through the City’s Bridge Sustainability in Northwest Philadelphia Project.
City officials joined Shailen Bhatt, Federal Highway Administrator; Ali Zaidi, White House Climate Advisor; Larry Shiflet, Executive Deputy Secretary, PennDOT; and community organizations to announce the grant at a May 1 press conference near the Valley Green Inn.