PIDC Receives $1.6 Million for Lift Bridge Repairs

by Charlotte Merrick
December 5, 2024

The Navy Yard Lift Bridge will soon get a facelift!

PIDC (on behalf of Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development) has been awarded $1.6 million through the Community Project Funding program to upgrade the 26th Street Lift Bridge.

The grant will support design for long-term rehabilitation for the aging infrastructure, enhancing critical access to the Navy Yard’s industrial core and helping achieve our Master Plan’s goal of improved connectivity.

Our team worked closely with Senator Bob Casey’s office, whose support was instrumental to securing these funds. To that end, the project is included in this year’s Transportation Improvement Program, identified as one of Pennsylvania’s capital improvement priorities.

Constructed more than 80 years ago, the Lift Bridge is an important connector between South Philadelphia and the Navy Yard for several reasons:

  1. It is the only access point outside of Broad Street and a crucial release valve for travelers.
  2. It is also along the route of the Navy Yard Transit’s NRG Loop, which provides access to SEPTA Broad Street Line. Thousands of commuters traverse the bridge daily to reach quality, family-sustaining, and union jobs within the Shipyard District.
  3. Future residents will travel across the bridge to safely access their homes.
  4. The U.S. Navy, still with a major footprint at the Navy Yard, is dependent on this infrastructure. As a vertical lift bridge, it offers essential water access to the Reserve Basin, the U.S. Navy’s only freshwater East Coast port and home of the Inactive Fleet.

From the Navy to employees to future residents, the 26th Street Lift Bridge represents a critical lifeline, connecting each of the Navy Yard’s core users to our South Philadelphia campus.

Stabilizing Aging Infrastructure

The 82-year-old Lift Bridge was last rehabilitated in 2003. In the two decades since, the bridge has experienced multiple failures, resulting in extensive traffic backups and stranding vessels in the Reserve Basin. PIDC, with help from a $250,000 award from statewide-LSA funds, is pursuing immediate, much-needed repairs, which will be completed by the end of 2025. Without these imminent repairs, the bridge would continue to pose a challenge for Navy Yard operations.

The $1.6 million grant will allow PIDC to stabilize bridge infrastructure through above- and below-water reconstruction of the structural, mechanical, and electrical systems, including a complete replacement of the fender system. This capital investment will bring the bridge into a state of good repair, ensuring reliable operation and enhanced safety for all users.

Looking ahead, the project will also include design for improved multi-modal accessibility on the bridge. Bike lanes, sidewalk extensions, and enhanced lighting are all under consideration as we re-position this aging infrastructure for the future. These capital improvements will help us achieve the Master Plan’s goals of enhanced entrances and improved connectivity to the Navy Yard. Repairing and re-envisioning the Lift Bridge will bring the campus closer to our vision of an accessible, mixed-use hub in South Philadelphia.