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The sky was literally falling before the city of Philadelphia finally decided to do something about the old bridge that crosses South Street. The entire westbound side of Interstate 76 had to be closed for seven hours in February of 2004 after metal chunks the size of baseballs fell onto the expressway. The stoppage caused massive delays and headaches for motorists. A similar incident occurred the previous summer. Beginning April of next year the bridge, built in 1923, will be completely torn down and rebuilt at a price tag of $38 million.

It's about time; it only took 20 years of planning.

But the University and Philadelphia will be paying the price for their deferred maintenance of the structure. Instead of properly maintaining the bridge, it was allowed to slowly deteriorate to the point where demolition was the most feasible option.

Underfunding maintenance, as was the case on South Street, often leads to higher costs in the long run when infrastructure fails.

This is a lesson the University should keep in mind in its expansion eastward and its maintenance of infrastructure and buildings around campus.

Unfortunately, there is another major problem the new construction will present: traffic.

The South Street Bridge is a major connection between the Philadelphia area and Penn, especially the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and neighboring health systems. City planners and University officials must carefully study all available traffic options in the demolition and construction of the new bridge.

With HUP patients' lives possibly at risk, it's more than a good idea.

It's a necessity.

But there is one final point that the University must keep in mind moving forward: The new bridge will be the first major physical step in Penn's move eastward.

The University has a great chance to kick off the development of the western shore of the Schuylkill River with a bang and to show city residents how much they can benefit from Penn's acquisition of the postal lands. While the city is paying for the bridge, the University will undoubtedly play a large role in its design.

And with the construction beginning just as the postal lands officially become Penn property, it may well set the tone for developments along the rest of the Schuylkill River. How the bridge interacts with the fields and Schuylkill Expressway will undoubtedly have a significant effect on Penn's future enterprises.

Furthermore, the bridges that currently connect West Philadelphia to Center City over the Schuylkill are bland and unremarkable.

Show Philadelphia what Penn is capable of by building a bridge that brings visitors off a dark, subterranean highway onto a beautiful campus with grace and style.

And, once completed, make sure the bridge is properly maintained too. Because no matter how nicely a bridge is constructed, it's all moot when pieces of it begin to fall onto the highway.

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