The Chinatown Stitch project to cap part of I-676 through Center City may be facing an existential financial problem with the federal Neighborhood Access and Equity program targeted for cuts in Trump’s latest budget bill. Despite this, the planning process continues to push forward. Just like we saw with a playground project in Nicetown intending to reconnect communities divided by highway infrastructure, the Stitch also requires approval from the Art Commission. This week, we saw the latest conceptual design for the Chinatown Stitch, with the Art Commission unanimously approving the design for a 730-foot-long cap over the Vine Street Expressway between 10th and 12th Streets.
When we last covered this project two years ago, three concepts were still under consideration. Now, after considerable community input and outreach, the design has progressed, but there will be additional community meetings in the fall. Over the last couple years, the budget has jumped from the initial estimate of $160M up to $207M, so even if funding wasn’t up in the air, there would still be a sizable gap to fill before construction could begin in 2027. $8M is still available for initial design work on top of the $4M that’s been spent.
The current plans require removing an existing park at 10th Street, though the two statues of foo dogs and a statue of General Lin Zexu will be relocated to the new park. As we can see from the plans and renderings provided by WSP, OJB, and Ground Reconsidered the new park will stretch from just east of 10th & Vine, westward past 11th Street. In theory that would eventually allow for a connection to the Rail Park. While weight limits can be an issue for highway cap parks, the current plans include a lot more than a basic big lawn.
Next to the great lawn is a shaded stage which could be a great venue for public shows, as long as traffic on the adjacent roads isn’t too loud. In the center of the park are the park’s restrooms, food kiosks, and a playground. There’s a shortage of tasty treats and fun beverages in many parks, so lets hope some vendors willing to go beyond the basics will set up shop here.
The park continues westward across 11th Street, and this portion of the park will include another lawn, a garden terrace, and a water feature. Maybe we’re not going to see the return of the Vine Street Canal, but who doesn’t love walking along a trickling stream? Somewhat frustratingly, 10th and 11th Streets will remain open to vehicular traffic except for special events. We’d have advocated for stretching the park across those traffic lanes to create a more holistic experience, but as usual, nobody asked us our opinion on the subject.
The variety of landscaping and the numerous features should make this a fun park to stroll around, and there’s also a decent amount of seating and public space designed for just hanging out. After all the hot days we’ve had this summer (science says this will get worse in coming years), we really appreciate all of the trees included in the renderings. One would hope these are fast growing trees which will offer plenty of shade.
Though this park is still in the planning stages, the City hopes to one day construct a second phase, extending the park to 13th Street. Given that the $158M local federal officials thought they had secured for the project is probably not coming through, it feels extremely premature to think about phase 2 when phase 1 may never happen. But who knows, even if the final planning documents end up on the shelf for a few years because of a lack of funding, maybe they’ll be dusted off next time we need a “shovel ready” project. Whether that day will come in five years, fifty years, or never, we couldn’t tell you.