Local orgs. hold South Street Bridge debate

For residents living near the South Street Bridge, newer may not always mean better.

On Monday night, the Philadelphia Department of Streets sponsored a meeting to discuss the plans and possible ramifications of the remodeling of the South Street Bridge.

Construction has been pushed back from its original April 2007 date to this coming October, Schuylkill River Development Corporation CEO Joseph Syrnick said, though he added that it is possible for the construction date to be pushed back even further until spring 2008.

The initiative is intended to remedy the deterioration of the bridge, which has caused a number of temporary closures in the past.

"The city is making significant changes and widening lanes," Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Alex Doty said. "The bridge is being designed to handle more traffic, especially trucks."

But the widths of bike lanes and pedestrian walkways have always been a contested issue for area residents, who are concerned that the city is overlooking the potential safety hazards for pedestrians and bikers using the bridge.

"The cars get more space [and] dedicated right-hand turning lanes," said Michael McGettigan, owner of Trophy Bikes and former member of The Bikers Coalition. "It's a truck-friendly bridge with fast traffic. . The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation thinks its just a bridge, but it's actually a neighborhood."

Transportation officials could not be reached for comment.

College junior Andy Magnes, who is an avid bike rider, has had some of the same worries and fears that other residents have expressed, citing an instance in which he was involved in an accident due to lack of space on the roads.

Once renovations do begin, cars will be detoured around the bridge that connects University City to Center City, and the Department of Streets is in the midst of preparing for serious traffic delays that will likely arise, Syrnick said.

"The city is backing a million-dollar companion project to upgrade twenty intersections and improve traffic signals," he said. "It is a temporary inconvenience for a permanent improvement."

Still, both sides are trying to make sure that the bridge is an improvement over the notoriously congested Walnut Street Bridge.

"It will be better," Doty said.

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