“Artist Rendering of Refurbished 25th Street Viaduct” | Via Plan Philly
- CSX Corporation, the largest freight railroad operating in Philadelphia, and Councilman Kenyatta Johnson “announced Wednesday a multiyear project to restore the condition and appearance of the long crumbling 25th Street Viaduct,” reports Plan Philly. The 1.2-mile bridge will have a debris shield installed by the end of the year; after that, the three to five year project will see the repair of its drainage system, replacement of the parapet walls, as well as the resurfacing of the bridge’s underside. While catalyzed by local train derailments in this and last January, these repairs would not guarantee the public’s safety much more than preventing additional concrete from falling off its pockmarked parapets, as the aforementioned derailments were caused by defects in the rail itself, and not the bridge’s pitiful condition.
- Of the seven Knight Foundation grants recently awarded to Philadelphia-based groups, one will help facilitate the reinvention of schoolyards as a viable and eventually essential component of a community’s public space. NewsWorks speaks with Anuj Gupta, executive director of Mount Airy USA, about the role that schoolyards are destined to play in coming waves of redevelopment, as there are few assets “as widely and equitably dispersed throughout all the city’s neighborhoods as schoolyards.”
- More than three years after the first reports that the King of Jeans building in East Passyunk Crossing (and a year after final approval) would be replaced with a mixed use, with 12 units, offices, and about 3,000 square feet of retail on the first floor, the Passyunk Posttakes note of the fencing now surrounding the site and pointing to its imminent demolition.
- The Mural Arts Program launched its 2015 tour season yesterday with the ceremonial ribbon cutting of its latest office space next to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts on North Broad Street, says CBS Philly.
About the author
Stephen Currall recently received his BA in history from Arcadia University. Before beginning doctoral studies, he is pursuing his interest in local history, specifically just how Philadelphians engage their vibrant past. Besides skimming through 18th century letters, Steve is also interested in music and travel.
