Design work is moving forward on the
Delaware River Waterfront Corporation's (DRWC) latest streetscape project along Spring Garden Street. Late last month, DRWC and project designer
RBA Group held a public open house to showcase the team's progress.
The presentation focused on two key improvement areas: streetscape enhancements along Spring Garden Street between Columbus Boulevard and 2nd Street, and a new lighting and public art installation by artist Leni Schwendinger under the I-95 overpass and Spring Garden transit stop.
The goal, according to DRWC's Karen Thompson, is to connect neighborhoods west of I-95 to the Delaware River. As part of the
Master Plan for the Central Delaware adopted in 2012, similar efforts have been implemented on Race Street in Old City and Columbia Avenue in Fishtown.
Upwards of 40 people came out for the open house, which steered clear of design details and focused instead on the project's initial concepts.
"We had a good turnout and a positive response," says Thompson. "With the public on board, we can move forward on the project's next steps."
Those include developing an action plan to refine details of the $2 million streetscape project -- figuring out curb cuts concerns, identifying street trees and planting species, and developing a concise multi-modal connection.
The team is also working to make sure their work goes hand-in-hand with the already-complete
Spring Garden Street Greenway Plan set to run from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River.
For the lighting improvements, Schwendinger and DRWC will meet with SEPTA and PennDOT to nail down specifics. The design will have to take into account the fact that the overpass will be redone in 2018 as part of the
Revive 95 project. Thompson anticipates that the installation will be taken off for the highway project and then reinstalled once work is completed.
Source: Karen Thompson, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation
Writer:
Greg Meckstroth