DRPA to bicyclists: The Ben Franklin Bridge is not for you

The following article comes to us again from our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and is reprinted here with their permission.  In addition to what the BCGP has to say, a December 6th Courier Post article tells of  $30 million the DRPA is giving away for projects that have absolutely nothing to do with transportation.  And while $20 million of that will be spent on worthy causes in New Jersey, its ridiculous for the DRPA to be giving this money away when there numerous pending transportation projects in their purvey that need funding, particularly the promised bicycle ramp on the Ben Franklin Bridge in Camden.

BTW - I was at the end of that queue of 250 riders shown in the bottom photograph waiting to cross the bridge.  We had to wait for of 50 minutes till all the other cyclists labored to push their bikes up the stair ramps.

John Matheussen in 2010, promising to build the ramp

Today, with no opportunity for public comment, the Delaware River Port Authority's Finance Committee approved a draft Capital Program that reneges on their promise to design and build capital project BF1101: an ADA accessible ramp on the Camden side of the Ben Franklin Bridge.

Sign this petition to send DRPA's Board a message: HONOR YOUR PROMISES - BUILD THE RAMP!

As we reported in January, funds designated in the 2011 draft budget to design the ramp were eliminated when the DRPA Board decided to delay all projects that did not directly involve public safety. This action was taken despite a public promise by Chief Executive Officer John J. Matheussen at the July 2010 Board meeting that DRPA would build the ramp in 2012.

The current entrance on the Camden side - inaccessible
for pedestrians w/disabilities and bicycle unfriendly.

The DPRA Finance Committee approved the 2012 capital budget with no public comment period. The Board of Directors will vote on the budget at its December 14th meeting (see below). Unlike most Agencies that rely on federal funding, DRPA has no obligation to allow for a 30 day public comment period, and does not include public comments attached to proposed budgets.

If DRPA does not hear from us, they will think bicyclists and pedestrians with disabilities have forgotten about their promise!

This bald-faced refusal to build the ramp:

• Creates a hole in our regional trail network
• Advertises DRPA's hostility towards bicyclists and pedestrians with disabilities
• Undermines trust in DRPA's promises

Why is improving access to the iconic Ben Franklin Bridge not considered a priority? Why isn't this part of improving public safety on the bridge?

Ways you can help:

1. Send a message that DRPA should BUILD THE RAMP!
2. Attend the DRPA Board of Directors meeting, which will be the only in-person chance for public input on the budget:

DRPA Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday December 14th
9AM - 10AM
1 Port Center, 11th Floor, Camden, NJ

TIGER 1 Update - Camden County Freeholders Award Contract for Bike Lanes and Streetscape

Staying focused this week on what is undoubtedly one of New Jersey's neediest places for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, our affiliates at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia bring us this story about the continued progress of the highly competitive TIGER Grant that will focus some much needed monies into Camden's bike/ped accommodations.   Enjoy!

On Thursday evening the Camden County Freeholders voted on the following resolution -

"Resolution authorizing an award of Contract (Bid A-10) by and between the County of Camden (Department of Public Works) and Lexa Concrete, LLC, for the 2011 Transportation Capital Program, American Recovery Investment Act TIGER Grant, Pyne [sic] Street Greenway Enhancement Project and Martin Luther King Boulevard, Waterfront Connection Project in an amount not to exceed $2,520,648.55"

This means that construction on two of the three Camden TIGER segments can now move forward, it usually takes at least several weeks between the award of a contract and the first shovel in the ground. The projects will include Camden's first bike lanes (MLK), sharrows, road repair and streetscape improvements.

The third segment, Pearl St adjacent to the Ben Franklin Bridge has been delayed due to the collapse of the bulkhead adjacent to the Camden Waterfront Promenade. DVRPC the regional planning commission has allocated additional money to the project to design and construct the new bulkhead. Once the design has been completed that project will go out to bid and which holds out hope that all three projects will be completed by the end of the year.

The construction of the project coincides with the rehabilitation of Farnham Park which includes a new multi-use trail through the park which will connect with the City's only marked bike facility - a two way sidepath on the south side of Kaighns Ave, which heads towards Cooper River Park a location where we pointed out the difficulty of crossing route 130 to get to the main section of the park.

View Pine Street in Camden in a Larger Map

DRPA plans bike/ped ramp on The Ben Franklin Bridge to better connect Philly & Camden

The following was originally written by John Boyle and posted on the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News. It is reprinted here with the permission of our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.


The Bicycle Coalition met with officials of the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) last week to receive details of the plan for the Bicycle Pedestrian Ramp project on the South Walkway of the Bridge as well as the Pearl St project which will offer bicycle and pedestrian improvements from the walkway entrance to the river. Pearl Street is one of three Camden TIGER projects sponsored by the Coopers Ferry Development Association.

Pearl Street Project

DRPA put up $100,000 to design the streetscape and roadway. The project calls for new signage, belgian block sidewalk and lighting improvements and sharrows on the roadway. Final design is within days of completion and construction is scheduled to begin in April 2011 and is expected to be completed within 6 months. The other Camden projects Pine St and MLK Blvd are expected to be completed simultanously and these 3 projects should be among the first TIGER projects to go under construction.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Ramp

As we reported earlier pending board approval DRPA is budgeting $50,000 in 2011 for the design of the ramp, while there was an original 2011 committment of $100,000 for the 2011 capital budget DRPA Chief Acting Engineer Michael Venuto explained that the 2011 schedule only required half that amount for the fiscal year. The rest of the design work, which is expected to take about 7 months will be completed in 2012. Construction is expected to begin around November of December of 2012 with completion scheduled in the Spring of 2013. The South Walkway will have to be closed during the six month construction project. Total project cost is estimated at 3.3 million dollars.

The bottom line-Nothing but good news from the DRPA, the construction of the ramp now appears to be a certainty. The Port Authority should also be commended for stepping up and offering their expertise to develop the plans for the first bicycle facilities in Camden.