Yesterday, Mayor Michael Nutter and representatives from the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation announced the next phases of redevelopment work to be done on the central Delaware waterfront (think from Penn’s Landing up to Penn Treaty Park). Aided greatly by a new two-year, $5 million grant by the William Penn Foundation that will go towards improvements in line with the DRWC’s Master Plan (check that out if you haven’t yet), the next immediate move will be something called the Race Street Connector — a series of developments and improvements designed to connect Old City with the presently under-construction Race Street Pier. According to a press release issued by the City and the DRWC, “elements are proposed to enhance connectivity to the river and to improve the pedestrian and bike experience, including a dedicated bike lane, signage, benches, bollards, curb realignments, increased sidewalk widths, crosswalks, plantings and a dramatic light screen along the right-side wall of the underpasses.” The Connector feeds into a larger project within that Master Plan that came as a direct result of public feedback: A whole series of these “connectors,” born of a desire to connect neighborhoods with the waterfront, as most of the neighborhoods along the central Delaware waterfront have large psychological and often physical chasms between themselves and the water. DRWC has noted 34 streets that already run under I-95 to Columbus Boulevard/Delaware Avenue, and plans to install 10-12 more “connectors” like these along them, though it’s probably safe to assume that most won’t be as deluxe as the Race Street Connector.

After the jump, two more renderings of the Race Street Connector.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 7th, 2011 at 12:41 pm.