Gov. Shapiro announces almost $30 million highway investment for Philly stadium district

Gov. Josh Shapiro promised to “fix traffic congestion” around the stadium district, with an almost $30 million infrastructure investment from the state.

Major changes include a new westbound entrance ramp to I-76, artificial intelligence-powered traffic signals, and better signage in the district. A second left turn lane from Front Street to I-95 opened earlier this month.

Just over half the announced funding will be spent on the I-76 entrance. Westbound travel options are currently limited to an access ramp on Broad Street. When the project is completed in 2028, the state estimates that it will be used by 800 vehicles an hour.

“For years, leaders across the Philadelphia region have talked about improving traffic in this stretch throughout South Philly, and now I’m here to announce today we are finally getting it done,” Shapiro said in a wind-swept news conference at Citizens Bank Park.

He also answered questions about the upcoming big events in Philadelphia, including FIFA’s World Cup, the MLB All-Star game, and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The summer’s festivities have been seen as a boon to hospitality and restaurant sectors of the local economy. But hotel and short-term rentals like Airbnb have not been as heavily booked as was anticipated, leading some to blame President Trump’s international unpopularity and aggressive immigration enforcement.

Trump administration officials said Wednesday that they were “drawing up plans” to impede the processing of international flights into airports in “sanctuary cities‚” a term for municipalities that limit local law enforcement’s assistance to immigration enforcement agencies like ICE. Philadelphia falls in that category.

“If they tried to put that into action, they would be met with a swift legal response from my administration,” Shapiro said in response to a media question about the Trump team’s threats. “And I will remind you, every time I’ve taken this administration to court, I’ve won.”

But Shapiro also downplayed the possibility of disruption, noting that many Trump administration officials say a lot of bombastic things that are not borne out in practice.

“We are poised over these next few weeks to welcome the global community to the city of Philadelphia for the World Cup,” Shapiro said. “The last thing we want to do right now, as the Trump administration seemingly is doing, is send a signal that we don’t want people to come here.”

The stadium district’s traffic challenges

The traffic funding would cover planning future upgrades for South Broad Street and the intersection of 26th Street and Penrose Avenue.

The Shapiro administration has spent heavily to boost employment hubs close to the stadiums, which include the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the Bellwether District, and the Port of Philadelphia.

A study is also being planned to accommodate the surge in freight traffic as these economic centers expand.

Shapiro mentioned that the $30 million in state spending would “strengthen public transit access,” but he offered no specifics and public transportation was not mentioned again during the news conference.

About $6.6 million in state funding will be spent to fit 19 traffic signals with artificial intelligence to better coordinate flow of vehicles through the area. State and local law enforcement told the state that the current signals were contributing to traffic congestion.

“Nothing was tuned up together, nothing was coordinated, and a big reason for some of the traffic as you were leaving, and coming in, is because those signals were off,” Shapiro said. “AI is going to help fix that in a huge way, have those signals coordinated, have the traffic flowing, and use technology as an enhancement to move people along.”

Shapiro’s news conference was attended by an array of building trades union leaders, real estate developers and other business leaders, and representatives of the professional sports teams and their owners.

“Today’s announcement represents a critical step forward in addressing what has long been the clearest and most significant challenge facing the Philadelphia Sports Complex: the efficient egress and ingress of fans arriving and departing from our respective venues year after year,” John Middleton, principal owner of the Phillies, said at the news conference.