I-676 to close bridge overnight in Philadelphia

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has scheduled portions of Interstate 676 to close Monday so that crews can complete overhead bridge construction.

The closures will affect traffic from I-76 and Broad Street interchanges on I-676 in Philadelphia. The closures will begin at 11 p.m. and end 5 a.m. Thursday.

The closures are part of the area’s project to replace regional bridges that are considered structurally deficient. There are seven of these bridges that pass over I-676 from 18th Street to 22nd Street. The project, which amounts to $64.8 million, includes plans to improve the area’s streetscape and landscaping.

Current plans require the crews to destroy the bridge on 19th Street. They will also need to remove the Free Library pedestrian bridge so that they can construct a newer bridge that will cross I-676 nearby the Family Court building. In addition, the crews will need to remove portions of the bridge on Benjamin Franklin/20th Street to complete this part of the project. These are the first four bridges that will be reconstructed.

The crews originally began their construction in April 2014. The project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2019. The contractor expects fair weather to continue so that the project can stay on schedule.

Crews will implement detours so that traffic patterns can continue as normal.