Get ready Philly drivers, more delays are on the horizon as PennDOT gears up to keep the wrenches turning on U.S. 1. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has rolled out another heads-up to motorists that overhead sign installation works will continue to unfurl next week on U.S. 1 (Roosevelt Expressway) in Philly's own Nicetown, as part of the whopper $100.6 million bid to fix up the Wayne Junction Viaduct.
The planned travel restrictions are set to run from Monday, March 18, through Thursday, March 21, dipping into the late hours from 6:00 PM to 5:30 AM the following morning. A single-lane closure will snag southbound lanes between 9th Street and Fox Street, potentially throwing a wrench in the evening plans of commuters and night owls alike. Travelers zigzagging north will also hit the brakes, with lanes shutting down intermittently from 7:00 PM to 5:30 AM, according to PennDOT’s announcement.
This round of late-night construction ballet is all in service of the Wayne Junction Viaduct project's final touches—or as the pros call it, "post-construction punch list activities." It's the home stretch of a project that's been more marathon than a sprint, with each sign hung acting as a mile marker toward a finish line of smoother travels above and tidier tracks below.
For those on the lookout for the land of the less congested, PennDOT's bid to wrap up this joint effort could signal relief. But for now, commuters might want to buckle up for a little more stop-and-go before they reach that promised land of open asphalt and breezier commutes. Travelers would do well to keep an eye on PennDOT’s project updates or risk being caught off-guard by the tangle of the traffic snarls and lane closures.
