School’s almost back in session, which means school buses will be out on the roads again during your commute! A few reminders to help keep students safe this back-to-school season:

• Yellow lights mean a school bus is preparing to stop. Slow down and watch for children.
• Stop at least 10 feet away when red lights are flashing and the stop arm is out. It’s the law.
• Wait until the lights stop flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and children have reached safety before moving your car.

Beginning Aug. 23, SEPTA will introduce new ways to travel by bus throughout the city and region – including two new routes and six extensions.

If you have students in your household who use SEPTA to get to school, visit Phase 1 School Route Change Guide to learn how their route will be impacted.

For complete information on these Phase 1 changes, visit the dedicated New Bus Network Phase 1 changes page.

You can also use the New Bus Network Trip Planner to see what your journey will look like after Phase 1 is implemented on Aug. 23 and 24. Try planning your trip to work, school, errands or entertainment to get familiar with what’s changing.

Contact my office if we can be of assistance, and a reminder that we can also help with SEPTA Senior Key IDs.

The City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation are reminding residents of the updated penalties for illegal dumping activities. The city began more proactive enforcement after launching the Illegal Dumping Task Force, and you can help get debris off our streets by calling 311 to report illegal dumping. To find ways to dispose of items in the correct fashion, you can visit phila.gov/recycling-donation-finder.

For anyone looking to properly dispose of Household Hazardous Waste, you can visit Phila.gov/Sanitation to find a list of disposal events in your area.

If you are 65 or older, a widow or widower aged 50 or older, or at least 18 years old with a permanent disability, you may qualify for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program and receive a rebate on your rent or property taxes.

I voted to expand this program and, as a result, thousands more people are eligible and receiving larger rebates.

Click here for more information and don’t forget that my office can help you apply as well.

The deadline to apply has been extended to December 31.

Let’s play ball! Show off your wiffle ball skils at the 8th Police District’s 5th Annual Community Wiffle Ball Tournament! See details on the flyer below!

Traffic Camera Repair Scheduled at Night Next Week on Interstate 95 South in Philadelphia

Drivers are advised of the following travel restriction:

• Sunday, August 16, through Thursday, August 20, from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning, a lane closure will be in place on southbound I-95 between the Washington Avenue and Tasker Street underpasses.

Drivers are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the work area because backups and delays will occur. All scheduled activities are weather dependent.

The work is being done as part of PennDOT’s I-95 Section GR8 project to install and update Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) equipment across regional highways.

Travelers can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras.

Northbound Traffic Pattern Begins on I-95 Reconstruction in Philadelphia

New Northbound Traffic Pattern Begins Next Week Under Final Phase of I-95 Reconstruction Project at Bridge Street Interchange in Northeast Philadelphia

Bridge Street Ramp to I-95 North to Permanently Close on August 21

PennDOT announced today that a new traffic pattern will be established next week for northbound Interstate 95 drivers under the final phase of the $267.9 million I-95 Section BS2 project to reconstruct the viaduct over Bridge and Tacony streets along with the adjacent sections of the interstate, improve the interchange, and enhance traffic movement and safety on surface streets at the interchange in Northeast Philadelphia.

Drivers are advised of the following travel restrictions:

• Wednesday, August 19, from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning, a left lane closure will be in place on southbound I-95 between the Cottman Avenue and Betsy Ross Bridge interchanges.
• Wednesday, August 19, and Thursday, August 20, from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning, the Longshore Avenue ramp to southbound I-95 will be closed and detoured. Drivers will be directed north on State Road to the Cottman Avenue on-ramp to I-95 South.
• Thursday, August 20, from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning, a left lane closure will be in place on northbound and southbound I-95 between the Cottman Avenue and Betsy Ross Bridge interchanges.
• Friday, August 21, from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning, lane closures will be in place on northbound I-95 between the Betsy Ross Bridge and Cottman Avenue interchanges.
• Friday, August 21, from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning, the ramp from the Betsy Ross Bridge to northbound I-95 will be closed and detoured. Drivers will be directed to the ramp to Aramingo Avenue, then north on Tacony Street to the Milnor Street on-ramp at the Cottman Avenue Interchange.
• Friday, August 21, from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning, the ramp from Aramingo Avenue to northbound I-95 at the Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange will be closed and detoured. Drivers will be directed north on Aramingo Avenue, then north on Tacony Street to the Milnor Street on-ramp.

Drivers are reminded that beginning at 8:00 PM Friday, August 21, the ramp from Bridge Street to northbound I-95 will permanently close ahead of the start of construction of a new on-ramp to northbound I-95 from Tacony Street and the Delaware Avenue extension. The new ramp is expected to open in late 2027.

During the ramp closure, drivers will be directed to travel north on Tacony Street to the Milnor Street on-ramp at the Cottman Avenue Interchange.

In addition to the ramp closure, a traffic shift will occur the same night, Friday, August 21, from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM, to move northbound I-95 drivers onto the newly reconstructed southbound lanes as northbound reconstruction at the Bridge Street Interchange gets underway.

If weather forces the cancellation of these operations, the ramp closure and traffic shift will be rescheduled for the week of August 24.

Drivers are advised to allow extra time when traveling through or near the work areas because significant backups and delays will occur.

For more information on this project and PennDOT’s I-95 reconstruction program, visit www.95revive.com.

If you need help with any state government-related program, please don’t hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Pennsylvania State Capitol

127 Irvis Office Building

PO Box 202174

Harrisburg, PA 17120-2174
(717) 772-4032

District Office

16 Old Ashton Road
Philadelphia, PA 19152
(215) 330-3714

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