US-based transportation engineering firm STV has secured a contract from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to provide design and construction phase services for the three-level reconfiguration of the Betsy Ross Interchange (BRI) along I-95 in Philadelphia.

This complex $880m project will be built in four phases, with the first phase of construction, Section BR0, initiated earlier this year.

Section BR0 connects I-95 to the local street system in Pennsylvania, as well as to NJ-90 via the Betsy Ross Bridge crossing over into New Jersey.

"This plan could eliminate more than 350,000ft² of structurally deficient bridge deck and save PennDOT as much as $80m."

The project will also focus on interchange ramp improvements needed for future construction sections.

BR0 will include rehabilitating a number of ramps to improve capacity and functionality to and from I-95 to the local street system, as well as construction of two new connecting ramps to and from the Betsy Ross Bridge and Aramingo Avenue.

Construction of the BR0 section is scheduled to be completed in 2017.

The project aims to create a safer and more efficient interchange through the reconstruction of the interchange’s multi-tiered network of roadways, ramps and bridges.

STV vice-president and Pennsylvania business unit leader in the firm’s transportation and infrastructure division Leonard Smith said: "The BRI project will vastly improve the flow of traffic, increase the number of lanes and access points to and from Philadelphia, and enhance safety at the interchange.

"It is an enormously complex project, with numerous challenges, including maintaining the flow of traffic for the thousands of motorists who use this vital interchange every day."

The redesigned BRI infrastructure features particularly intricate and nuanced curves and bends on the seven interchange ramps.

The project also includes the widening of several bridges from the 1990s and the replacement of several incomplete bridges that were left over from the unbuilt Pulaski Expressway.

The company will also deploy a multi-phased traffic control plan to accommodate motorists during construction.

STV project manager Geoff Stryker said: "BR0 will include pilot sections of each of these solutions with the intent applying them to future phases within BRI.

"This plan could eliminate more than 350,000ft² of structurally deficient bridge deck and save PennDOT as much as $80m."