The Streets Department of Transportation Announces the Start of Construction Along Parkside Avenue at 53rd Street and at Bryn Mawr Avenue

Weekday road closures from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. will begin Monday, July 20, 2026 at the intersection of 53rd Street and Parkside Avenue

PHILADELPHIA - The Streets Department of Transportation announces the start of construction for the Parkside Avenue Intersection Improvement Project. This project redesigns Parkside Avenue's intersection at 53rd Street and at Bryn Mawr Avenue to improve traffic safety for everyone, whether they are walking, biking, or driving. The new intersection designs will shorten crosswalk distances, slow down turning drivers, improve accessibility, and provide clearer instructions to all roadway users.

Construction begins Monday, July 20, 2026 with full road closures weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The roadway will be temporarily restored and fully reopened to traffic every afternoon and all weekend.

Closures will occur one intersection at a time, starting with 53rd Street and Parkside Avenue then switching to Bryn Mawr Avenue and Parkside Avenue. The closures are anticipated to continue for 2 to 3 weeks per intersection (4 to 6 weeks total). Weather and other factors may change the construction timeline.

These closures will enable crews to quickly and safely complete initial construction of the new intersection designs, including new curb lines, temporary traffic markings, and drainage installation. Construction will continue with the roadway open to traffic through this fall.

Local access to the Parkside Evans Recreation Center and nearby facilities will be maintained throughout the project. Mann Center event traffic will not be impacted by the daytime-only road closure hours.

Additional project information and updates can be found on the project's webpage.

Project features:

• New intersection designs with concrete sidewalk bump-outs that will improve traffic safety by shortening crosswalk distances and slowing down turning drivers.
• New stormwater drainage inlets
• New ADA-compliant sidewalk curb and bike ramps
• High-visibility crosswalks and roadway traffic markings
• New traffic signals, including Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) buttons and countdown timers.
• New separated two-way bike facility that becomes sidewalk level at each intersection's concrete bump-outs.

Project funding:

• Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) and Automated Red-Light Enforcement (ARLE)
• City of Philadelphia Vision Zero and Resurfacing and ADA capital funds

Project Team:

• Streets Department of Transportation (StreetsDOT)
• Pennoni
• JPC Group, Inc.
• JMT
• Drive Engineering

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