Interstate 676 Pennsylvania / New Jersey

Overview

Interstate 676 forms an urban loop through Downtown Philadelphia across the Delaware River to Camden, New Jersey. Along with I-579 at Pittsburgh, I-676 is one of two Interstates in Pennsylvania that do not use exit numbers.

Following the Vine Street Expressway, I-676 travels below the Philadelphia street grid from the Schuylkill River to Logan Square, Broad Street (PA 611) and Chinatown. Emerging east of 10th Street, the Vine Street Expressway provides a high speed link to Interstate 95 (Delaware Expressway). The I-676 mainline navigates along exit ramps and surface streets around Franklin Square to connect with the Ben Franklin Bridge. Drivers along I-676 east are directed onto 6th Street southbound briefly before joining the bridge approach. The westbound direction intersects Franklin and 8th Streets before merging with the Vine Street Expressway ahead of 10th Street.

I-676/U.S. 30 cross the Delaware River into New Jersey on the seven lane wide Ben Franklin Bridge. Tolls are collected for the westbound direction of the span at a plaza located beside Linden Street in Camden. Interstate 676 east splits with U.S. 30 as it encircles Downtown Camden southward to Haddon Avenue along a six lane freeway. The route ends at the east approach to the Walt Whitman Bridge (I-76).

Mileage by State

Pennsylvania	2.16 mi
New Jersey	4.75 mi

Data Sources

December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

Chinatown Stitch

On March 8, 2023, Philadelphia city officials announced a $4 million planning project with the envisions of capping a portion of Interstate 676 (Vine Street Expressway) over Chinatown. Named the Chinatown Stitch, the proposed cap encompasses up to a six block section of I-676 between Broad and 8th Streets in the Chinatown neighborhood. The first phase includes an interactive concept study allowing input from citizens on how to utilize the capped area, ranging from green space to commercial or residential housing. Later phases include developing potential designs and eventually building the cap. Construction could begin in 2028, depending on funding.⁸

High Priority Corridor

Interstate 676 is part of High Priority Corridor 64: Camden-Philadelphia Corridors.

History

The Vine Street Expressway spurred east from the Schuylkill Expressway to 18th Street by 1959. The portion between Broad Street and the directional T interchange with I-95 was not finished until July 1991.¹ The Benjamin Franklin Bridge opened to traffic on July 1, 1926.²

Originally named the Delaware River Bridge, the Ben Franklin Bridge is a suspension bridge measuring 8,300 feet in length.3⁴ Two 385 foot high towers⁴ support the 128 foot wide span which includes a 77 foot wide travel deck, a pedestrian walkway and the PATCO transit line. The two rapid transit tracks runs below the travel lanes. The bridge was constructed over a four year period starting on January 6, 1922. It cost $45.2 million.⁵

Historically, the Vine Street Expressway represented the northern quadrant of an urban belt system around Downtown Philadelphia. The inner loop included the unbuilt South Street Expressway in addition to sections of the Schuylkill and Delaware Expressways. While the Vine Street Expressway was considered an arduous construction project due to opposition and mounting costs, the South Street Expressway faced stiffer opposition from neighborhood leaders in the communities along the planned route. Ultimately the opposition was insurmountable, and the expressway project was scrapped. A remnant of the scuttled plan is the scaled down exit ramp to Columbus Boulevard from Interstate 95 northbound.

The Schuylkill Expressway southeast into Philadelphia was designated a part of Interstate 80S until 1964. I-680 was also assigned to the Schuylkill Expressway south of Vine Street and across the Walt Whitman Bridge. When the Pennsylvania Turnpike east from Monroeville became a part of newly designated Interstate 76, I-680 was replaced with Interstate 676 in Philadelphia.

As approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on June 20, 1972, I-76 and I-676 swapped alignments between Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey. Previously I-76 was routed both along the Vine Street Expressway spur and the freeway south through Camden to Fairview, New Jersey. I-676 followed the Schuylkill Expressway southeast to the Walt Whitman Bridge and Gloucester City, New Jersey. The designations were switched as the Vine Street Expressway was incomplete at the time and still many years away from completion.

A $64.8 million project replaced seven two-span bridges across the Vine Street Expressway in Philadelphia with single span structures. Started in April 2015, the four year project replaced the overpasses at 22nd Street, 21st Street, Benjamin Franklin Parkway / 20th Street, 19th Street, 18th Street and the Free Library and Family Court pedestrian bridges. Work also included repaving the roadway and making aesthetic improvements.⁶

West End  ‐ 30th Street – Philadelphia, PA

West at

Passing under 13th Street, westbound Interstate 676 and U.S. 30 (Vine Street Expressway) advance to the exit for 15th Street south for PA 611 (Broad Street). A modified trumpet interchange connects with I-76 and U.S. 30 west in one mile. 12/21/16

West at

Interstate 76 straddles the west banks of the Schuylkill River from University City northward to 30th Street Station and the Vine Street Expressway (Exit 344). 12/18/16

East at

Exit 345 departs ahead of I-76 and U.S. 30 split at Interstate 676 (Vine Street Expressway) for PA 3 (Arch / Market Streets) at 30th Street Station. 12/21/16

South End  ‐ Walt Whitman Bridge – Camden, NJ

South at

The last exit from the I-676 mainline departs for Holtec Boulevard a half mile from I-76 and the east end of the Walt Whitman Bridge. 12/26/24

West at

Interstate 76 heads north with six westbound lanes through Gloucester City to the split with I-676 at Exit 2. 12/29/08

East at

The Walt Whitman Bridge accommodates seven overall lanes of traffic between South Philadelphia and I-76C/676 at Fairview in Camden. Operated by the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), the suspension bridge opened to traffic on May 16, 1957 after nearly four years of construction.⁷ 12/26/24

West at

I-76C connects Route 168 and U.S. 130 with both I-676 north into Camden and I-76 west across the Walt Whitman Bridge. 09/19/04

References

1. Anderson, S. (n.d.). Vine Street Expressway (I-676 and US 30). PhillyRoads.com. Retrieved from http://www.phillyroads.com/roads/vine/
2. Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (DRPA). (2006, July 6). Ben Franklin Bridge, 80 Years of History. [Press release].
3. Ben Franklin Bridge Fun Facts. WPVI-TV. Retrieved from https://6abc.com/ben-franklin-bridge-philadelphia-camden-new-jersey-6abc-discovery/3894079/
4. Anderson, S. (n.d.). Benjamin Franklin Bridge (I-676 and US 30) PhillyRoads.com. Retrieved from http://www.phillyroads.com/crossings/benjamin-franklin/
5. Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). (n.d.). Ben Franklin Bridge. Retrieved from https://www.drpa.org/bridges/ben-franklin-bridge.asp
6. Stamm, D. (2015, April 7). 4-Year Bridge Project to Close Parts of Philadelphia's Vine Street Expressway. WCAU-TV. Retrieved from https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/center-city-vine-street-expressway-bridge-construction/2011191/
7. Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). (n.d.). Walt Whitman Bridge. Retrieved from https://www.drpa.org/bridges/walt-whitman-bridge.asp
8. City of Philadelphia. (2023, March 8). City Announces the Chinatown Stitch: A Project to Reconnect Philadelphia to Vine Street. [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.phila.gov/2023-03-08-city-announces-the-chinatown-stitch/