Project Description

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) are currently undertaking significant improvements to a three-mile long section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia.  Centered on the Girard Avenue Interchange, and encompassing the stretch of highway between the I-676/Vine Street Expressway and Allegheny Avenue Interchanges, the I-95/GIR project winds through portions of the historic Northern Liberties, Kensington-Fishtown, and Port Richmond neighborhoods.

This segment of I-95, which was built in the 1960s and moves nearly 160,000 vehicles day, is now in the process of being rebuilt to improve capacity, operation, safety, and access through the elimination of lane drops and the creation of four continuous lanes in each direction. The improvement plan also includes replacing or rehabilitating 30 bridges along the interstate; adding an auxiliary lane in each direction to connect entrance and exit ramps between the I-676, Girard Avenue and Allegheny Avenue interchanges; reconfiguring the Girard Avenue Interchange to improve access, operation and safety; improving adjacent local streets; and make ground-level enhancements identified by various Delaware River waterfront planning initiatives to reconnect communities to the waterfront, create new public spaces, and incorporate green infrastructure into the project design.

Cultural Resources Regulations, Standards, and Guidelines

Archaeological investigations for the I-95/GIR project are being performed by cultural resource professionals with AECOM, based out of the Burlington, New Jersey office, under a contract with PennDOT Engineering District 6-0.  This work is required under to auspices of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, and is being conducted in accordance with federal regulations defined in 36 CFR Part 800, particularly sections 800.4, and 800.5; as well as with the standards contained in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s (PHMC) Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations (2008), and PennDOT’s Cultural Resources Handbook Publication 689.

Archaeological Area of Potential Effects (APE)

PHMC approved the archaeological APE for I-95, Section GIR in February 2001 (ER 01-8007-101) (Appendix A). As defined, APE for this project extends from Race Street to Allegheny Avenue, and is confined to those areas where ground disturbance will occur as a result of project construction. Areas that will be disturbed include those receiving proposed new and/or extended abutments, piers, retaining walls, relocated Richmond Street and temporary access roads, the new storm water basins and utility conduit, new landscaping, and equipment staging and storage areas. From Race Street to Spring Garden Street planned construction work will consist of pavement reconfiguration and bridge rehabilitation, rather than new construction, and as a result no impacts to archaeological resources are anticipated in that section.

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Today’s pieces of Philadelphia’s long and vibrant history are visible all around us. However, much more of the city’s historic legacy remains buried in the ground beneath our feet, still waiting to be discovered. This buried history, in the form of archaeological sites hundreds or even thousands of years old, can be found all around us, preserved in every corner of the city, and in every neighborhood.

This interactive digital report makes available the archaeological discoveries from along the Delaware River waterfront, in the neighborhoods of Northern Liberties, Kensington-Fishtown, and Port Richmond. These sites, and the artifacts within them, were uncovered during archaeological excavations conducted in advance of construction work to improve Interstate 95. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) are undertaking a long-term, multi-phase project to improve and rebuild Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania. Section GIR involves the improvement of approximately three miles of I-95 between Interstate 676 and Allegheny Avenue in Philadelphia, and includes the reconstruction of the Girard Avenue Interchange; widening of the overhead interstate highway; installation of new utilities and landscaping; and improving access to the Delaware Waterfront.

Like most archaeological work in this country, investigations for the I-95 project are mandated by the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966. This law requires archaeological investigations to be completed whenever construction projects receive Federal funding. The purpose of the NHPA is to preserve America’s past and allow time for archaeologists to research important archaeological sites before they are lost to construction.

This report takes an innovative approach in how Philadelphia’s waterfront archaeological discoveries are shared with members of the public and the archaeological community alike. By making use of the latest smart technology, visitors can search through and explore this information as they please via their computers or any web-enabled hand-held device. What you will find here includes images, 3-D reconstructions, and information about individual artifacts, photos and videos of site excavations, historic research about these neighborhoods, stories about the diverse people who made the riverfront their home over the past 4,000 or more years, detailed reports of discoveries from individual archaeological sites, artifact databases that can be used for further research, and information about upcoming public events featuring the latest discoveries from this project.

Because archaeological investigations are still actively being conducted throughout the I-95/GIR project area this report represents a work in progress. As new discoveries are made, and new information is revealed over the next few years, this report will be updated and expanded.