No end in sight for constant flooding of FDR Park road 

25.07.2025    Billy Penn    3 views
No end in sight for constant flooding of FDR Park road 

For years a stretch of the loop road in FDR Park has occasionally been covered by several inches of water sometimes for days or weeks at a time Over the past year the mini-lake has become such a permanent fixture that the Parks Recreation department put up a sign directing drivers cyclists and others to detour through an adjoining parking lot under I- next to the FDR Skatepark They veritably cut a chunk of the guardrail out to make a new path around the water which puts everybody right through the skatepark parking lot and out the parking lot entrance explained Carlos Baiza a skater who co-founded and helps run the skatepark It causes mass confusion If we have a busy day and everybody fills up the parking spots the people that are trying to dodge the puddle they re kind of blocked in Arguments start It s not a good thing he declared In addition after years of water erosion and car tour that secondary track is heavily pitted with potholes Countless motorists skip the detour choosing to plow through the deep puddle on the main road The FDR Skatepark parking lot under I- in FDR Park is filled with potholes after being used as a detour around a flooded stretch of road July Meir Rinde Billy Penn The city is part way through a controversial million makeover of the beloved South Philly park in part to address frequent weather change-related flooding after storms but the work hasn t addressed the water in the road and a fix doesn t appear to be part of the multi-year plan Instead the state Department of Transportation PennDOT is trying to figure out a method as part of its long-term project to rehabilitate the adjoining section of I- which towers over the edge of the park The road is city property but the state agency has gotten involved because the flooding is blamed largely on untreated stormwater that flows down from the highway across the skatepark lot and down into the street Friends of FDR Park a population group that runs programs at the park has been pushing the city and PennDOT to do something about the constant flooding but so far to no avail co-chair Barbara Capozzi explained The Friends have complained bitterly bitterly bitterly in writing in person to their face They re very slow to act she noted Enough already If I was running the place it would be pristine It s very very frustrating Nature and scope of repairs still unknown The Fairmount Park Conservancy the nonprofit hired by the city to lead the FDR Park renovation project declined to answer questions about flooding on the loop road referring questions to PennDOT and Parks Rec PennDOT spokesperson Krys Johnson reported the state agency is aware of the drainage concern and is working with the city to identify solutions Once those are figured out they would be incorporated into the Girard Point Bridge Improvement Project a million rehabilitation planned for the bridge and other structures that make up I- between Broad Street and Enterprise Avenue The fix would be part of the project s first phase which PennDOT is planning to put out for bids by construction firms later this year Johnson stated The work hasn t been scheduled but could begin sometime in according to the project website Capozzi expressed skepticism that PennDOT would address the road flooding any time soon saying she feared it could take until as late as for the work to be completed PennDOT is planning an extensive rehabilitation of a stretch of I- including the bridge over the Schuylkill River and the section next to FDR Park shown in the upper right of the photo PennDOT Planners have for years remarked on the highway s impact on the park atmosphere In the city s FDR Park Plan noted that runoff of untreated stormwater from I- produces a constant flow of water over the road surface which is the main cause of the multitude of potholes along the park road that cause so much trouble the present day Water also flows in from Broad Street and areas north of Pattison Avenue both damaging the park s infrastructure and harming water quality in its lakes and creeks the plan says An old drainage system collects water from the highway the loop road and the park generally PennDOT is scrutinizing the system s maximum and looking into expected modifications to improve its ceiling Johnson mentioned We will collaborate with the city to determine the scope of the drainage improvements she announced Everything s just sunk Philadelphia s perennially underfunded Parks Department has at times struggled to maintain the loop road The one-way path provides the only way for drivers to reach ballfields picnic areas and other amenities in the eastern half of the park as well as much of the site s parking and it gets heavy use when good-weather days and weekends attract thousands of visitors Several years ago unaddressed erosion and wear created potholes that regularly caused serious damage to cars Baiza and other skaters eventually started soliciting donations from visitors and with help from the Friends group bought cement to patch up its a large number of potholes themselves The city eventually stepped in fully repaving the road and painting in a bike lane in Baiza disclosed he s familiar with the argument that the road remains constantly flooded because of I- runoff He s concerned that PennDOT s project to rehabilitate the highway supports and fix the drainage flow could endanger the skatepark which the skaters themselves have painstakingly built by hand since the mid- s But FDR Park is also tidal wetland that lies slightly below sea level and Baiza thinks land subsidence has contributed to the road being more or less permanently flooded I believe that everything s just sunk and the top of the pothole water is the same level as the top of the lakes he revealed The road s lower than what it used to be or the water is rising I think that s the issue Everybody says it s a clogged pipe it s this it s that I believe that s just the water table level Tide gates and tree clearing As context change leads to heavier storms and a wetter climate the city is trying to climate-proof the park by excavating in its center to create moisture-absorbing wetlands It s using the soil to elevate land along the park s perimeter for playing fields playgrounds and other features The city has also replacing a failed old tide gate installing two new gates that connect the wetland with the neighboring Naval Reserve Basin and drain the park when water levels rise However Parks Rec spokeswoman Ra Chelle Rogers declared that work was not designed to address the road flooding This flooding is separate from the conditions addressed by the new tide gate project which continues to improve drainage in other parts of the park Areas that previously held water after moderate rain including paths playing fields and the sector now remain dry she mentioned The city s renovation of FDR Park plan has faced heavy criticism from residents opposed to the cutting down of hundreds of trees in an area known as the Meadows and to plans to construct athletic fields a playground and other new features on what had been an expanse of natural development and trails A court ruled last year against residents who sued to stop the tree clearing allowing the Fairmount Park Conservancy to move ahead with the work Beginning next year the conservancy plans to plant over saplings in the park s northwest corner to eventually replace the lost trees Supporters of the larger renovation say it will provide young people with more badly needed sports fields and the city has defended the regrading and wetland creation as needed to solve the park s chronic flooding The post No end in sight for constant flooding of FDR Park road appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY

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