Philadelphia's Freeway Cap Park Almost Fully Funded, Ready to Start Planning

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) recently created a new Sustainable Action Committee to move forward with big changes proposed for I-95 through Philadelphia, reports Sarah Clark Stuart.

The Sustainable Action Committee is enabled by Mayor Jim Kenney’s budget proposal to fund the Central Access Philadelphia (CAP) project to improve I-95 by capping the freeway at Penn’s Landing to create a new waterfront park. The mayor's budget also provides "new funding to create the Central Delaware Trail, a new bicycle trail along Delaware Avenue and Columbus Boulevard," according to Clark Stuart.

Mayor Kenney's budget proposed a contribution of $90 million to his administration's 2018-2023 capital investment program, with the difference in the I-95's estimated cost of $225 million coming from state, federal and private funds.

On that latter source of funding, the William Penn Foundation announced a $100 million donation to the cap project in early March. According to an article by Cassie Owens reporting the donation, the project is just $10 million from its goal.

Clark Stuart's article includes more information about the activities of the Sustainable Action Committee after its first meeting, held in March, and the next steps for the CAP project.

For more on the history of the project, see Planetizen articles from February 2013, April 2014, and September 2014.