An illuminating transformation for a bleak city underpass

The unveiling of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation’s much anticipated Spring Garden Street Connector wowed the crowd at the recent unveiling with Cloud Gehshan’s wisteria-inspired perforated portal structures and suspended light screens and dramatic, animated lighting effects by The Lighting Practice. The new environmental enhancements are part of a larger streetscape improvement plan led by NV5 (formerly RBA Group) to replace a dark and gloomy underpass with a safer and more welcoming connection to the waterfront, a major transit station, bike share hub and river trail. Watch how these dynamic enhancements brighten the underpass and read PlanPhilly’s review.

The idea for Connector Streets comes from the Master Plan for the Central Delaware as a means to better link neighborhoods cut off from the waterfront by I-95 by creating more inviting pedestrian environments.

The $2 million project was funded by the William Penn Foundation, PennDOT and SEPTA. The contractor was AP Construction and the environmental enhancements were fabricated and installed by Urban Sign, Inc.

Photos courtesy of Tom Crane