Urban to Manage and Inspect Gustine Lake Interchange

Engineering District 6-0 of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has awarded Urban Engineers the construction management and inspection of a $23 million project to improve the Gustine Lake Interchange in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.

The project consists of replacing four structurally-deficient bridges, removing one other bridge, and realigning two ramps to create a new signalized intersection at Ridge Avenue.

Other project elements include installing new overhead sign structures and highway lighting, replacing drainage, removing and replacing guiderail, relocating and replacing utilities, and milling bituminous pavement.  Some 300 trees and shrubs will be planted as part of the project.

Extensive maintenance and protection of traffic measures are involved to facilitate the movement of nearly 100,000 vehicles a day that use the interchange between City Avenue, Lincoln Drive, Kelly Drive, and Ridge Avenue.

As the project is located in the Schuylkill River Watershed, considerable erosion and sedimentation controls are required.

As a result of Urban’s constructability review of the project, PennDOT was able to reduce the construction period from five to two years.  This saved PennDOT approximately $3 million.

The bridges, which range in length from 121 feet to 238 feet, were constructed in the early 1960s.