 BRIDGES
Benjamin Franklin Bridge
Benjamin Franklin Bridge Steel Painting Project
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MILESTONE REPORT
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Phase 4 of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge Steel Painting Project is complete. The suspended spans of the bridge were blast cleaned and painted from the Camden anchorage to the Philadelphia anchorage.
The next stage, Phase 5, is to do the same for the Philadelphia approach spans.
Phase 3 addressed the two towers and was completed in the fall of 2003. Phases 1 and 2 of the bridge painting project involved the Camden approach spans and were completed in 2002. The Delaware River Port Authority thanks the surrounding Camden and Philadelphia communities for their patience during these phases. The final phase of the project will blast clean and paint the Philadelphia approach spans.
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TOLL FREE INFORMATION NUMBER
Residents, business owners, bridge users, community organizations and other interested parties can call 1-866-321-2475 with questions or concerns about the painting of this 81-year-old landmark. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all five phases of the project are completed.
ENVIRONMENTAL/TECHNICAL INFORMATION
These are just a few of the important steps taken to ensure the quality and safety of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge Steel Painting Project:
- Protection of bridge roadway lanes, pedestrian walkways and PATCO tracks.
- Monitoring to:
- assure noise and air quality ordinances are met;
- ensure the proper handling, storage and disposal of materials;
- and protect the safety of the public and the project workers.
- Complete enclosure of work areas within a containment system using impermeable materials with all seams fully sealed.
- Containment structures engineered to support the weight of the equipment, materials, and workers—as well as withstand wind.
- Abrasive blast cleaning, resulting in a corrosion and scale-free bridge surface.
- Use of specialized equipment with shrouds and vacuums to contain and dispose of dust safely—all within guidelines established by various transportation and safety agencies.
- Sound reducing muffler system on equipment to reduce noise.
- Night time work activities will be limited to minimize potential noise impacts to adjacent property owners.
For more information, download the Paint Removal Containment and Monitoring Systems brochure (pdf).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
- Toll free information number: Residents, business owners, bridge users, community organizations and other interested parties can call 1-866-321-2475 with questions or concerns about the painting of this 81-year-old landmark. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- During office hours: On weekdays from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, you may call DRPA’s Customer Service and Community Relations Department at (215) 218-3750 ext. 2255 or email us at info@lists.drpa.org.
- Join the eAlerts Program: If you would like to receive information about the project via email, register for the eAlerts program. Just select BFB Bridge Painting Project as your area of interest.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Community relations and public outreach have been an integral part of the project since its beginning. Focus group meetings were conducted with the Camden and Philadelphia communities prior to the start of bridge painting. Meetings with federal, state and local regulatory officials were also held to discuss how the project would proceed, and the health and safety precautions that would be put in place. Acontainment brochure, video and fact sheets were made available. Regulatory officials, public officials and news media were invited to on-site visits and demonstrations as well. Community meetings and other outreach efforts have been conducted in all previous phases of the project and will continue until the work is completed.
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