Interstate 676
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South end | Route 76C in Gloucester City, NJ | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
States | Pennsylvania, New Jersey | |
Counties | PA: Philadelphia NJ: Camden | |
Highway system | ||
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Interstate 676 (I-676) is an
After World War II, freeway approaches were planned for both sides of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which was completed in 1926 and serves as a part of US 30. In Pennsylvania, the Vine Street Expressway was planned to run along the northern edge of Center City to the Schuylkill River, while, in New Jersey, the North–South Freeway was to head south along the Route 42 corridor. When the Interstate Highway System was created in the 1950s, this stretch of highway was a part of I-80S, with Interstate 680 (I-680) continuing on the Schuylkill Expressway to the Walt Whitman Bridge.
In 1964, the designations became I-76 and I-676, respectively, and, in 1972, the two routes were switched onto their current alignments. I-676 in New Jersey was completed between I-76 and Morgan Boulevard by 1960 and north of there to downtown Camden by the 1980s. The Vine Street Expressway was opened from the Schuylkill Expressway to 18th Street by 1960 and east of there to I-95 on January 10, 1991, despite opposition from the adjacent community and other obstacles to construction. There are grade-level intersections in the connections between the Vine Street Expressway and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.
Route description
Pennsylvania
I-676 begins at an interchange with the
New Jersey
After crossing the bridge, the freeway enters the downtown area of the city of
History
The Benjamin Franklin Bridge was opened on July 1, 1926, and was designated to carry US 30 across the Delaware River.[7][8] A parkway called the Camden–Atlantic City Parkway was planned in 1932 to connect the Benjamin Franklin Bridge southeast to Atlantic City; this was never built.[9] After World War II, freeway connections were planned on both sides of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. In Philadelphia, the Vine Street Expressway was planned to run along the Vine Street corridor to the present-day Schuylkill Expressway in 1945.[10] The North–South Freeway was proposed in New Jersey as a connection from the bridge south along the Route 42 corridor.[11] In 1950, the city of Philadelphia began planning the construction of the Vine Street Expressway, which would run along a depressed alignment through the city.[12]
When the
There were several challenges in building the Vine Street Expressway between 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The road was to run through developed areas of Philadelphia, intersecting several streets and railroad lines. The Chinatown community organized in opposition to the highway construction through their neighborhood.[18] In addition, the route was to run through Franklin Square, a historically sensitive site, to connect to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. As a result, the routing was modified in 1966 to avoid many of these obstacles. The route was to avoid running through Franklin Square, leading to the eastbound direction using surface streets to access the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and a planned connector to Market Street was removed.[19] In the 1970s, the proposed freeway's environmental impact statement (EIS) had to be evaluated again per new guidelines; when the new EIS was issued in 1977, it was found that more improvements were needed for mass transit in the area of the planned freeway.[20] To comply with this, provisions were made concerning the proposed underground Center City Commuter Connection for SEPTA Regional Rail, in which the railroad tracks would pass under I-676 and residences would be built over the railroad tunnel in Chinatown.[21] Construction was approved in 1986 on the Vine Street Expressway from 18th Street to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, with no provisions for elevated connections between the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and the Vine Street Expressway to avoid disturbing Franklin Square.[22][23] This portion of the Vine Street Expressway opened to traffic on January 10, 1991, completing I-676.[3]
On April 14, 2015, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) began work to rebuild seven existing overpasses on the Vine Street Expressway portion of I-676. The project, which cost $64.8 million (equivalent to $76.2 million in 2023[24]), was to be completed in late 2019. Since 2021, the new overpasses started to have traffic.[25] After the remnants of Hurricane Ida passed through the area on September 1, 2021, intense rain and floodwaters from the swollen Schuylkill River flooded the expressway after drainage pumps failed. I-676 through Philadelphia remained closed for three days.[26]
In 2022, the city of Philadelphia applied for federal funds to initiate a study to cap the freeway and reconnect the affected neighborhoods to Center City.[27] Capping the Vine Street Expressway is part of the 2017 Chinatown Neighborhood Plan.[28] On March 11, 2024, it was announced this project will receive a $158.9 million federal grant.[29]
Exit list
All exits in Pennsylvania are unnumbered.
State | County | Location | mi[6][30] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
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Western terminus of US 30 concurrency; exit 344 on I-76; to Fairmount Park, Philadelphia Zoo, 30th Street Station | |||||||
Vine Street Expressway Bridge over the Schuylkill River | |||||||
0.41 | 0.66 | – | Ben Franklin Parkway / 23rd Street | ||||
0.78 | 1.26 | – | Central Philadelphia | ||||
1.43 | 2.30 | – | 8th Street south – Market East | At-grade intersection westbound | |||
1.47 | 2.37 | – | Exit 22 on I-95; to Penn's Landing | ||||
– | To PA 611 / Vine Street – Pennsylvania Convention Center | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||||
1.86 | 2.99 | – | 6th Street south – Independence Hall, Penn's Landing | At-grade intersection | |||
– | 5th Street | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||||
Delaware River | 2.15– 4.75 | 3.46– 7.64 | Benjamin Franklin Bridge (north/westbound toll; cash or E-ZPass) | ||||
Rutgers University | Exit number not signed southbound | ||||||
3.50 | 5.63 | – | Southern terminus of US 30 concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
3.37 | 5.42 | 5B | Market Street ( Downtown Camden, Adventure Aquarium | Southbound exit only | |||
3.28 | 5.28 | 5A | To US 30 east / Martin Luther King Boulevard / Campbell Place | No northbound entrance; access via Federal Street; US 30 not signed southbound; to Cooper University Hospital and Adventure Aquarium | |||
2.27 | 3.65 | 4 | Kaighns Avenue ( CR 607 ) / Atlantic Avenue | ||||
1.14 | 1.83 | 3 | Broadway (CR 551) / Morgan Boulevard – Port Terminals | ||||
0.36 | 0.58 | 1 | Collings Avenue ( CR 630) – Gloucester City, Collingswood | Signed as exits 1B (east) and 1C (west) southbound | |||
0.32 | 0.51 | 2 | I-76 west (Walt Whitman Bridge) – Philadelphia | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit 354 on I-76 | |||
0.22 | 0.35 | 1A | To Route 76C | ||||
Exit 2 on I-76 | |||||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- U.S. Roads portal
- New Jersey portal
- Pennsylvania portal
- Philadelphia portal
References
- ^ "Route Log and Finder List, Table 2". Federal Highway Administration. October 31, 2002. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ a b "Was I-76 Numbered to Honor Philadelphia for Independence Day, 1776?". Ask the Rambler. Federal Highway Administration. January 18, 2005. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ a b Bittan, Dave (January 11, 1991). "Expressway Through Your City's Heart Opens Vine Highway Connects Schuylkill to I-95". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ ISBN 0-87530-777-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Google (January 11, 2010). "overview of I-676" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "I-676 Straight Line Diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- ^ "Ben Franklin Bridge". WHYY-TV. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
- ^ Map of New Jersey (Map). Tydol Trails. 1927. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ Regional Plan of the Philadelphia Tri-State District. Regional Planning Federation. 1932.
- ^ Vine Street Expressway. Philadelphia City Planning Commission. 1945.
- ^ Weart, William J. (April 21, 1957). "Philadelphia's New Shore Route". The New York Times.
- ^ Schuylkill Expressway, Roosevelt Boulevard Expressway and Vine Street Expressway. Philadelphia City Planning Commission. 1950.
- Bureau of Public Roads. 1955. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
- ^ a b Wright, George Cable (September 19, 1958). "New Roads with New Numbers Will Parallel Old U.S. Routes". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Pennsylvania State Transportation (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1960. § 2. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee (June 20, 1972). "U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee" (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway Officials. p. 425. Retrieved October 16, 2014 – via Wikisource.
- State Farm Insurance. 1983.
- ^ "How Chinatown rallied when development threatened to divide the neighborhood Philly History". The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 22, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Regional Expressway System. Philadelphia City Planning Commission. 1966.
- ^ Interstate 676, Vine Street Expressway: Administrative Action Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Statement. Federal Highway Administration and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. 1977.
- ^ "Vine Street Expressway: What the Impact Will Be". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 10, 1981.
- ^ "Vine Street Facelift in Sight, but First a Lot of Pain". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 14, 1986.
- ^ "On Vine, Piecing Together a Puzzle". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 15, 1987.
- Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ Babay, Emily (April 13, 2015). "Construction on Vine Street Expressway bridges has begun". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ "Vine Street Expressway fully reopens both directions after historic Philadelphia flooding". WPVI-TV. September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ "City to apply for funds to cap portion of Vine Street Expressway through Chinatown". WHYY. June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, retrieved June 6, 2022
- ^ Stamm, Dan (March 11, 2024). "Plan to 'Stitch' Philly's Chinatown together gets $159M federal grant". Philadelphia, PA: WCAU-TV. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2007, Toggle Measure Tool. Accessed on 2007-06-06.
External links
- Interstate Guide - I-676
- I-676 on Pennsylvania Highways
- I-676 on AARoads.com
- I-676 on Interstate-Guide.com
- Pennsylvania Roads - I-676 and US 30
- New Jersey Roads - I-676
- The Roads of Metro Philadelphia: Vine Street Expressway (I-676/US 30)
- The Roads of Metro Philadelphia: Interstate 676 - New Jersey
- Interstate 676 – Kurumi.com
- Interstate 680 – Kurumi.com