Don’t Get Stuck

Finally! Highly-anticipated improvements to Lincoln Drive set to begin April 30th. 

UPDATE 4/27/18: The Streets Department announces roadway improvements slated for Lincoln Drive between Wayne and Ridge Avenues to begin on/after April 30th. This phase of work is scheduled to last through December 2019. Lincoln Drive will be accessible during construction. All travel lanes open during rush hour drives. One lane open between 9am and 3pm. Expect complete overnight closures ONLY between the hours of 9pm and 6am and the weekend https://www.philadelphiastreets.com/transportation/lincoln-drive-project.

(Original post 11/22/16) The good news: Lincoln Drive is getting a whole host of safety, traffic, drainage, and even aesthetic improvements. The bad news: traffic could be nightmarish for awhile. Details, plus a work-around for visitors & neighborhood newbies. 

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So now that Walnut Lane Bridge is open for traffic, Philadelphia Streets Department has got Lincoln Drive next on the docket. Streets engineering manager Vadim Fleysh stopped by Community Council’s general meeting earlier this month to brief the neighborhood on what to expect when work begins.

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The year-long, $7.6 million project calls for major work between Wayne and Ridge Avenues, including resurfacing & skid treatments, drainage improvements, new sidewalks & guide rails, plus new signals and pedestrian connections. Lincoln Drive’s median barriers will also be increased by four inches.

Historic Rittenhouse Town’s clumsy patch-job of a wall will be fully rebuilt, with an architectural finish. In addition, the project will adjust the intersection of Wayne & Cliveden, coordinating traffic around the same controller.

So what kind of traffic hassles are we talking?

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Weekdays, they’ll keep at least one lane open during the day; at night (9PM – 6AM), detours will use Ridge, Walnut Lane, and Cliveden Street. Northbound repairs should take about 2 months to complete, while Southbound will only be affected 2-ish weeks when Ritttenhouse Town’s wall is constructed.

Hopefully, this project’ll be done by early 2018.

Questions, concerns? Contact Philadelphia’s Streets Department at 215-626-7812 (or just hit 311 to be connected). FULL REPORT & INFO

East Falls Local Lincoln Drive Closed -- SIGN Ridge Ave South Lincoln Drive Ridge Ave North FAR TEXT

Meanwhile, directionally-challenged Fallsers please take note: we’ve created a take-you-by-the-hand guide to getting home via Kelly when Lincoln Drive is closed. Because GPS ain’t perfect, and phones can cut out.

Photos and arrows show the route — go ahead, print a copy for your glove box. Even if you’ve lived here years, it’s not hard to get spun around sometimes. You’re welcome! And stay safe.

PS 12/10/16: Work has begun! Weekends, the drive closes to traffic (but if you’re lucky you can sneak down on foot & grab some cool views impossible when cars are whipping by).

 

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