Interstate 676 Pennsylvania / New Jersey

Overview

Vine Street Expressway westbound where the ramps from I-95 converge with the ramps from I-676/U.S. 30 and the Ben Franklin Bridge. 01/01/19

Interstate 676 forms an urban loop through Downtown Philadelphia across the Delaware River to Camden, New Jersey. Along with I-579 at Pittsburgh, I-676 is one of two Interstates in Pennsylvania that do not use exit numbers.

Following the Vine Street Expressway, I-676 travels below the Philadelphia street grid from the Schuylkill River to Logan Square, Broad Street (PA 611) and Chinatown. Emerging east of 10th Street, the Vine Street Expressway provides a high speed link to Interstate 95 (Delaware Expressway). The I-676 mainline navigates along exit ramps and surface streets around Franklin Square to connect with the Ben Franklin Bridge. Drivers along I-676 east are directed onto 6th Street southbound briefly before joining the bridge approach. The westbound direction intersects Franklin and 8th Streets before merging with the Vine Street Expressway ahead of 10th Street.

I-676/U.S. 30 cross the Delaware River into New Jersey on the seven lane wide Ben Franklin Bridge. Tolls are collected for the westbound direction of the span at a plaza located beside Linden Street in Camden. Interstate 676 east splits with U.S. 30 as it encircles Downtown Camden southward to Haddon Avenue along a six lane freeway. The route ends at the east approach to the Walt Whitman Bridge (I-76).

Chinatown Stitch

On March 8, 2023, Philadelphia city officials announced a $4 million planning project with the envisions of capping a portion of Interstate 676 (Vine Street Expressway) over Chinatown. Named the Chinatown Stitch, the proposed cap encompasses up to a six block section of I-676 between Broad and 8th Streets in the Chinatown neighborhood. The first phase includes an interactive concept study allowing input from citizens on how to utilize the capped area, ranging from green space to commercial or residential housing. Later phases include developing potential designs and eventually building the cap. Construction could begin in 2028, depending on funding.⁸

High Priority Corridor

Interstate 676 is part of High Priority Corridor 64: Camden-Philadelphia Corridors.

History

The Vine Street Expressway spurred east from the Schuylkill Expressway to 18th Street by 1959. The portion between Broad Street and the directional T interchange with I-95 was not finished until July 1991.¹ The Benjamin Franklin Bridge opened to traffic on July 1, 1926.²

Route Information

East End – Camden, NJ
West End – Philadelphia, PA
Total Mileage – 6.91

Pennsylvania – 2.16

Cities – Philadelphia
Junctions –

New Jersey – 4.75

Cities – Camden
Junctions –

Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

I-676 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)

Source: 2017 Traffic Volume Map – Philadephia County Pennsylvania Traffic (PennDOT)
2013-15 AADT – New Jersey Annual Average Daily Traffic – NJDOTGIS Web Map

The Vine Street Expressway completed from the Schuylkill Expressway to 16th Street in 1964.

The 1984 Gousha map of Philadelphia showed exit numbers for Interstate 676 at I-76 and 22nd Street. These ramps are unnumbered today.

I-676/U.S. 30 eastbound across the Ben Franklin Bridge. 12/18/16

Originally named the Delaware River Bridge, the Ben Franklin Bridge is a suspension bridge measuring 8,300 feet in length.3⁴ Two 385 foot high towers⁴ support the 128 foot wide span which includes a 77 foot wide travel deck, a pedestrian walkway and the PATCO transit line. The two rapid transit tracks runs below the travel lanes. The bridge was constructed over a four year period starting on January 6, 1922. It cost $45.2 million.⁵

Historically, the Vine Street Expressway represented the northern quadrant of an urban belt system around Downtown Philadelphia. The inner loop included the unbuilt South Street Expressway in addition to sections of the Schuylkill and Delaware Expressways. While the Vine Street Expressway was considered an arduous construction project due to opposition and mounting costs, the South Street Expressway faced stiffer opposition from neighborhood leaders in the communities along the planned route. Ultimately the opposition was insurmountable, and the expressway project was scrapped. A remnant of the scuttled plan is the scaled down exit ramp to Columbus Boulevard from Interstate 95 northbound.

The Schuylkill Expressway southeast into Philadelphia was designated a part of Interstate 80S until 1964. I-680 was also assigned to the Schuylkill Expressway south of Vine Street and across the Walt Whitman Bridge. When the Pennsylvania Turnpike east from Monroeville became a part of newly designated Interstate 76, I-680 was replaced with Interstate 676 in Philadelphia.

As approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on June 20, 1972, I-76 and I-676 swapped alignments between Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey. Previously I-76 was routed both along the Vine Street Expressway spur and the freeway south through Camden to Fairview, New Jersey. I-676 followed the Schuylkill Expressway southeast to the Walt Whitman Bridge and Gloucester City, New Jersey. The designations were switched as the Vine Street Expressway was incomplete at the time and still many years away from completion.

A $64.8 million project replaced seven two-span bridges across the Vine Street Expressway in Philadelphia with single span structures. Started in April 2015, the four year project replaced the overpasses at 22nd Street, 21st Street, Benjamin Franklin Parkway / 20th Street, 19th Street, 18th Street and the Free Library and Family Court pedestrian bridges. Work also included repaving the roadway and making aesthetic improvements.⁶

Photo Guides

West End / 30th Street – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

West at

Passing under 13th Street, westbound Interstate 676 and U.S. 30 (Vine Street Expressway) advance to the exit for 15th Street south for PA 611 (Broad Street). A modified trumpet interchange connects with I-76 and U.S. 30 west in one mile. 12/21/16

The final exit from the Vine Street Expressway westbound links with N 22nd Street to Benjamin Franklin Parkway. 12/21/16

Interstate 676/U.S. 30 cross the Schuylkill River west from 22nd Street. U.S. 30 follows I-76 west for 0.75 miles to Exit 342 and Girard Avenue at Fairmont Park. 06/03/12

Two lanes merge with the left side of Interstate 76 (Schuylkill Expressway) westbound to Northwest Philadelphia, Manayunk, Conshohocken and King of Prussia. A circuitous ramp loops southward onto I-76 east at 30th Street Station. 12/21/16

Interstate 76 runs south to University City, Gray’s Ferry and South Philadelphia. PA 291 leads southwest from the Schuylkill Expressway to I-95 at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). 12/21/16

West at

Interstate 76 straddles the west banks of the Schuylkill River from University City northward to 30th Street Station and the Vine Street Expressway (Exit 344). 12/18/16, 12/19/17

Exit 345 rises from I-76 westbound at the Walnut Street Bridge to 30th Street Station. The Schuylkill Expressway passes below an elevated structure over the ensuing three blocks. 12/18/16

Passing by 30th Street Station, I-76 advances a quarter mile to Exit 344 with Interstate 676/U.S. 30 (Vine Street Expressway). 12/19/17

I-76 emerges beyond the Exit 344 gore point. U.S. 30 combines with I-676 east along the Vine Street Expressway to the Ben Franklin Bridge. 12/19/17

The entrance ramp from the Arch Street / John F. Kennedy Boulevard Bridge (PA 3) ties into Exit 344 just ahead of the turn across the Schuylkill River onto I-676/U.S. 30 east. 12/19/17

Former guide sign at the Exit 344 gore point along the Schuylkill Expressway westbound. 08/30/05

East at

Exit 345 departs ahead of I-76 and U.S. 30 split at Interstate 676 (Vine Street Expressway) for PA 3 (Arch / Market Streets) at 30th Street Station. 12/21/16

A lane drop occurs along the Schuylkill Expressway eastbound at Left Exit 344 for I-676/U.S. 30 east into Central Philadelphia. I-76 advances south to University City. 12/21/16

South End / Walt Whitman Bridge – Camden, New Jersey

South at

A left exit links Interstate 676 south in Camden with I-76 west across the Walt Whitman Bridge to South Philadelphia. 12/18/16

Succeeding ramps depart in quick succession for Collings Avenue and unsigned Interstate 76C east to U.S. 130 (Crescent Boulevard) north and Route 168 (Black Horse Pike) south. 12/18/16

The I-676 southbound mainline merges with Interstate 76 east directly 1.3 miles ahead of I-295 at Mount Ephraim and 2.1 miles from the transition to Route 42 (North South Freeway) in Bellmawr. 12/18/16

Button copy signs for the south end of I-676 previously posted at Exit 3 for Morgan Boulevard. 09/19/04

West at

Interstate 76 heads north with six westbound lanes through Gloucester City to the split with I-676 at Exit 2. 12/29/08

I-676 combines with U.S. 30 west at the Ben Franklin Bridge Toll Plaza, 3.6 miles north of I-76. The suspension bridge spans the Delaware River west to Old City in Philadelphia. 12/29/08

Crossing Newton Creek, Interstate 76 turns west onto the tolled Walt Whitman Bridge as I-676 commences northward into Camden. 12/29/08

East at

The Walt Whitman Bridge accommodates seven overall lanes of traffic between South Philadelphia and I-76C/676 at Fairview in Camden. Operated by the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), the suspension bridge opened to traffic on May 16, 1957 after nearly four years of construction.⁷ 07/27/07

Lowering into Camden County, New Jersey, Interstate 76 reduces to three eastbound lanes at the forthcoming exchange (Exit 354) with I-76C east to Audubon Park and I-676 north to Camden. 07/27/07

Exit 354 departs from the east end of the Walt Whitman Bridge above Newton Creek. I-676 runs north along the Waterfront South area of Camden to the Gateway neighborhood before reaching Downtown. 07/27/07

I-76C spurs east from Exit 354 to ramps with I-676 north, U.S. 130 (Crescent Boulevard) north to Collingswood and Route 168 (Black Horse Pike) south to Audubon. 09/19/04

West at

I-76C connects Route 168 and U.S. 130 with both I-676 north into Camden and I-76 west across the Walt Whitman Bridge. 09/19/04

Sources:

Vine Street Expressway (I-676 and US 30), NYCRoads.com.
“Ben Franklin Bridge, 80 Years of History.” Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (DRPA), press release. July 6, 2006.
Ben Franklin Bridge Fun Facts. WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA).
Benjamin Franklin Bridge (I-676 and US 30), NYCRoads.com.
Ben Franklin Bridge. Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) web site.
“4-Year Bridge Project to Close Parts of Philadelphia’s Vine Street Expressway.” WCAU-TV (Philadelphia, PA). April 7, 2015.
Walt Whitman Bridge. Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) web site.
“City Announces the Chinatown Stitch: A Project to Reconnect Philadelphia to Vine Street.” City of Philadelphia web site (www.phila.gov)

Page updated April 10, 2023.