I-95 CAP Project: Residents near construction zone adjust to disruptions as crews work
OLD CITY - I-95 near the waterfront is going through a complete overhaul as part of the CAP construction project.
PennDOT began demolition work on the southbound lanes Saturday night and that part of the highway is closed for 36 hours, through Monday morning.
"I definitely hear it and every day, it’s an everyday thing," resident Kelly McCarthy said.
Living in Old City, Queen Village or even Society Hill sounds a little different lately. As crews work to create a multi-acre park over I-95, they are deep into the demolition phase and it is all a bit disruptive.
McCarthy adds, "It just creates crazy traffic and it will take me 15 minutes to go half a block."
The commotion of a shutdown I-95 and demolition is impossible to ignore.
I-95 Philadelphia closure: CAP project to close southbound lanes over the weekend
The southbound lanes of I-95 in Philadelphia will close for 36 hours over the weekend as crews continue work on a year's long project to reconnect the city to the Delaware River waterfront.
"There was a front-loader right on the corner of our spot and our building was actually shaking," resident Andrew Bechini explained. "I could feel it. I was sitting at my desk working throughout the day and it was actually shaking."
While the project is expected to take years to complete, residents intend to stick it out.
"We own this spot, so we’re not moving at all. The plans they have for this park, we are in it for the long haul," Bechini commented.
Retired engineer Jeff Fog is fascinated by the process. "I could watch this stuff for hours."
He can hear it from his 27th floor apartment, but he doesn’t mind. "I can hear reverberation all the way over there, but it attracts me when I hear it. I think, ‘Oh they’re working.’ They’re working through the night and the impact hammers - when you hear the tatatatata, that’s the impact hammers drilling through the concrete beams, so you can take them out piece by piece."
He says he is looking forward to the end result with a lot of excitement, "It’s a short-time hassle, noise and botherance, but it will be worth it in the end, I feel sure."