[KELLY DRIVE DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS]
Last week, when the Inquirer ran a story about a surprisingly massive ($38 million) drainage improvement project that will snarl traffic just below the East Falls bridges, the region let out a collective groan. For something like six months, Kelly Drive will be reduced to two lanes — severely crimping one of the city’s major arteries. What was lost in the hubbub over traffic was an explanation as to why the Scotts Lane/Allegheny Ave. basin needs better drainage and how new impervious surfaces, development, and insufficient stormwater systems built in the early 20th century make this need acute.
Filed under: Uncategorized
This a terra cotta medallion from the original Wilson Brothers portion of Broad Street Station demolished in 1953.
Filed under: roads
This is an overlay of Paxton’s 1811 map of Philadelphia with a modern Google map showing a small community clustered around the Ridge Road/Ave. Running east to west roughly along the current track of Fairmount Ave. was a rutted farm road called Francis Lane. From the name of this road and Francis St. which still exists comes the name of the community wedged in in the V between Francis and the Ridge Road/Ave. The conventional name of this community is Francisville though an out-of-use handle gives some clues as to the reasons why one street’s named “Grape”. Just northwest of Wylie St. is Vineyard St., which you can faintly see in Paxton’s 1811 map.
