Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Philly Gets a Boost From U.S. DOT to Mend Neighborhoods Split By a Highway

Chinatown residents want to see Philadelphia's Vine Street Expressway capped. Photo: Philadelphia Encyclopedia
Chinatown residents want to cap Philadelphia's Vine Street Expressway. Photo: Philadelphia Encyclopedia
false

Earlier this year Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said he wants to help repair the damage done to cities by highways. And this week U.S. DOT took some steps to make that happen, announcing the winners of its "Every Place Counts Design Challenge."

The four chosen cities (out of 33 applicants) will get technical assistance from U.S. DOT to tear down or cap highways, or otherwise mend urban neighborhoods split apart by grade-separated roads. The winners are Spokane, Nashville, St. Paul, and Philadelphia.

Jim Saksa at Network blog Plan Philly explains how Philadelphia plans to use the process to begin heal the divides created by the Vine Street Expressway:

Philly’s prize: a two-day planning session hosted by U.S. DOT to imagine what Chinatown and Callowhill would look like without the Vine Street Expressway’s enervating interruption through the neighborhoods.

Winning planning sessions is far from federal funding for the untold millions of dollars it would take to significantly and dramatically improve I-676 by covering it and converting it into a tunnel. But planning would be the first step toward mitigating the decades-long negative impact the Expressway has had on Chinatown and Callowhill.

A cap is what the neighborhood wants, though, according to Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) Executive Director John Chin.

Saksa explains some of the history:

The Vine Street Expressway has long been a thorn in the side of Chinatown. When it was created fifty years ago, PCDC’s first major fight was to save the Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church, which was slated for destruction during the highway’s construction. PCDC managed to get the highway’s planned location moved to save the church, but it still suffered the wound of a severed neighborhood.

Then, and for years after, the Expressway was a fight between the local communities, and transportation planners and traffic engineers, who were more focused on how many cars they could move than the impact on the urban landscape.

Hopefully these sessions will spark real momentum to heal the scars left by highways in these four cities and many others.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Renew ATL considers the challenges that Baby Boomers -- the most suburban generation -- will face as they age in places not designed with elderly people in mind. U.S. PIRG reports that states are forging ahead with highway boondoggles, including Florida's Tampa Bay Express expansion project and I-77 in North Carolina. And Urban Review STL tests out and critiques Kansas City's new streetcar.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Monday’s Headlines Are Dragging Their Feet

The Trump administration claims the Biden administration left them with a backlog — but they've actually been far slower at getting transportation money to states than their predecessors, a new analysis finds.

July 14, 2025

These U.S. Communities’ So-Called ‘Complete Streets’ Policies Don’t Even Deserve the Name

Any city can call itself a "Complete Streets" champion. But not all of them are walking the walk — and if they don't, a top organization says they'll no longer give them a platform on its esteemed "best of" ranking.

July 14, 2025

Communities Rally To Reclaim Streets From ICE Terror

"This is an attack on Los Angeles. This is an attack on California. On all of us."

July 11, 2025

Friday Video: The London Neighborhood Where Bikes Outnumber Cars

...and how they got to that impressive milestone.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Battle Galactus

Like the Marvel supervillain, U.S. interstate highway system seems to eat up everything in his path. A new book explores how to stop it.

July 11, 2025

New Report Shows Pedestrian Fatalities Drop — But Experts Say Not Enough

The Governors Highway Safety Association report showed a 4 percent drop in the number of pedestrian deaths last year, putting a slow on a dangerous trend — but advocates say the drop isn't nearly big enough.

July 11, 2025
See all posts