A five-block section of Cottman Avenue in Tacony was scheduled to become a two-way street on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m.
For many years, Cottman Avenue between Torresdale Avenue and State Road carried two lanes of westbound traffic.
Crews were to open a single eastbound lane. That stretch of Cottman Avenue will continue to have two westbound lanes.
The rebuilt road is part of the first stage of a two-stage project to reconstruct and improve the Cottman Avenue interchange on Interstate 95.
Cottman Avenue’s new eastbound lane will temporarily terminate as a right turn only onto southbound State Road.
The eastbound lane will eventually carry traffic to a new southbound on-ramp that will be built on the east side of State Road during the second and final stage of the improvement project.
PennDOT’s second stage of construction at the interchange is scheduled to start early next year.
The two-way traffic pattern is one of several changes being implemented by PennDOT on blocks near the interchange.
On Aug. 16, a new on-ramp to southbound I-95 opened at State Road and Longshore Avenue. The former southbound on-ramp at Princeton Avenue and Keystone Street closed.
State Road has also been widened to include two southbound lanes, along with one northbound lane, between Cottman Avenue and New State Road.
In addition, a five-block stretch of Princeton Avenue, which is currently one-way eastbound, will be converted to a two-way street between Torresdale Avenue and State Road in the fall.
In all, the project costs $31.9 million. Work started in May 2009.
For more information, visit www.95revive.com ••
