By Julian Walker
Times Staff Writer
Four months ago, the Interstate 95 overpass at Levick and Keystone streets in Tacony was just another drab piece of the city’s transportation infrastructure.
Above, cars coursed along the expressway. Below them, eastbound motorists snaked toward the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge on their way to the Garden State.
The apparent effects of this constant stream of vehicular and foot traffic left the area looking dingy. Concrete on the overpass was worn and dirty.
Nearby swaths of nature were unkempt and littered with debris.
A mangled chain-link fence encircling the grassy hills leading up to the overpass displayed much wear, bent in places that suggested one too many a teen had climbed the weakened divider.
No longer.
The new look of the corridor — replete with a stars-and-stripes mural on the overpass, new landscaping that transformed barren land into an urban oasis, and the installation of a sturdier fence — was unveiled at a ceremony last week attended by Mayor John Street, Managing Director Philip Goldsmith, City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-6th dist.) and state Rep. Mike McGeehan (D-173rd dist.).
The patriotic mural that now adorns the interchange was painted under the direction of the city’s Mural Arts Program, as a component of Street’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative.
NTI’s stated purpose is to revive failing city neighborhoods by doing away with problem properties to make way for new construction, while also performing cosmetic improvements to communities that have remained stable, such as many in the Northeast.
In Northeast Philadelphia, NTI is evident in programs like Krajewski’s Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP), a complaint-driven service that forces property owners to redress quality-of-life nuisances (unmowed lawns, improper trash disposal) or face a fine.
Another example of NTI at work is the Northeast Philadelphia Gateway Project, of which the mural and landscaping around the Levick Street overpass is an example.
Other murals are planned at major transportation corridors in the Northeast, said Jane Golden, director of the Mural Arts Program, including one that will salute Irish heritage and another that pays tribute to Italian culture.
Philadelphia boasts more than 2,500 indoor and outdoor murals that decoratively dot the city’s landscape, she added.
Such projects, said Street, are a hallmark of his dedication to the Northeast.
“When I became mayor, I made a solemn commitment not to forget, not to neglect the Northeast section of this city. And we have kept that commitment,” he said.
“NTI is not just for North Philadelphia or West Philadelphia, but for every neighborhood in this city that needs help to maintain itself. We want to send the right message, that we care about all neighborhoods. At no point do we ever want to see the Northeast deteriorate like communities in other areas of this city have.”
Beautifying neighborhoods, whether with murals or regular cleanups, “sends a strong message that our communities are worth every dime we spend on them,” Street said. “There are no neighborhoods and no people in our city not worth saving.”
Fittingly, the American flag-inspired mural was dedicated last Thursday, on the two-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The significance of the patriotic theme of the day and the artwork was not lost on those at the event.
Golden, director of the Mural Arts Program, praised the deeper symbolism of such artistic efforts.
“For us, this represents a lot,” she said of the mural. “It is about patriotism at its finest moment –– embracing unity, diversity and tolerance. Art can be a tool for social change and economic development. It makes a profound difference in our world.
“We will never be the same after Sept. 11. Hopefully we will be more in touch with our humanity,” she continued. “Hopefully this icon will be a landmark and a continual source of pride and inspiration, an everlasting reminder. So we turn this mural over to you. It belongs to the citizens of Philadelphia.”
Artist Brian Senft painted the mural between May and July, doing much of the work at night to avoid blocking traffic.
Total project costs approached $40,000.
But no price tag can be affixed to the aesthetic value and benefits of the redesigned gateway.
“And we’re going to do it again and again until every major thoroughfare and gateway into our city (is improved),” Street said. “Residents demand and deserve nothing but the best for this community.” ••
Reporter Julian Walker can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jwalker@phillynews.com