Pulaski Expressway

[NickFromGtown]

Can someone explain how the Pulaski Expressway was supposed to work and where it was supposed to run?

[Bob_Head]

Can someone explain how the Pulaski Expressway was supposed to work and where it was supposed to run?

Have you seen this page yet? Pulaski Expressway (PA 90, unbuilt)

[NickFromGtown]

I have seen that, but I was curious as to how Germantown would be involved with that. I have heard from various people over time that this was supposed to run through Germantown somehow and quite frankly I never understood how that would happen. Specifically, I was told that this one family that used to live on Lena St was bought out of their house through eminent domain on Lena St.

Was there ever supposed to be an expressway that would have run through Germantown and if so, where would it have been?

[Bob_Head]

I have seen that, but I was curious as to how Germantown would be involved with that. I have heard from various people over time that this was supposed to run through Germantown somehow and quite frankly I never understood how that would happen. Specifically, I was told that this one family that used to live on Lena St was bought out of their house through eminent domain on Lena St.

Was there ever supposed to be an expressway that would have run through Germantown and if so, where would it have been?

I believe the North Penn Expressway is the one you're thinking of.

[NickFromGtown]

Where is billy ross when you need him?

[lewblum]

Back in the 60's there was a redevelopment plan for Central Germantown that proposed a 4-lane bypass road around the business district.

If I remember correctly, it would have connected Lincoln Drive to maybe Belfield Avenue in the Wister area.

It proposed widening Rittenhouse St as a parallel to Chelten Ave and creating a parallel street to Germantown Ave in the Lena/Baynton/Wakefield area.

I don't know if was actually acted on, but this could be what you're thinking of.

[NickFromGtown]

Germantown redevelopment area plan - Philadelphia City Planning Commission - Google Books

Argh! So close!

[Voodoo]

Tacony Expressway = Pulaski Expressway

[lewblum]

that cuts just east of wister station. nick, were you talking about lena st north or south of chelten?

[NickFromGtown]

That map is extremely helpful. I can only assume that it would have been south of Chelten Ave. Thank goodness this thing was never built.

Although I often lament our half-built subway system, I do not lament our half-built highway system. Can you imagine if they built all of these things? I've spent too much time in LA to believe in Futurama-inspired visions of cities.

[kyrmyt]

Yup. that expressway was planned to replace (?) Belfield and curve into Rittenhouse to circumvent the hub of Germantown, i. e. Germantown and Chelten. It would have made it impossible from our neck of the woods to get to the Avenue, to walk to either the elemntary school on Wakefield or the Friends Schools.

The best-laid plans of mice and men - well, sometimes it's better if they get buried......

[NickFromGtown]

Are you sure that this highway wasn't going to run down Wister to Stenton or something like that? The map above doesn't seem to make too much sense if it was to run on Belfield. And I think the idea of reworking Rittenhouse makes sense within the context of having a parallel street to Chelten as mentioned above.

[Voodoo]

The North Penn Expressway was not designed to facilitate local traffic. It was designed to avoid it altogether.

[lewblum]

The map above is different from what myself and kyrmyt are talking about.

Lately though I've been thinking about how pointless the Fort Washington Expressway is in a regional sense. It would be nice if it connected up to the Roosevelt Expressway :P

[bungee]

I have seen that, but I was curious as to how Germantown would be involved with that. I have heard from various people over time that this was supposed to run through Germantown somehow and quite frankly I never understood how that would happen. Specifically, I was told that this one family that used to live on Lena St was bought out of their house through eminent domain on Lena St.

Was there ever supposed to be an expressway that would have run through Germantown and if so, where would it have been?

I have actually seen a drawing of the proposed expressway but it was about four years ago. The GHS library has a copy of the plan. It was radical and the expressway ran through densely built blocks in west central Germantown... As I recall it anticipated a lot of demolition and MOVING some of the most historic buildings that were in its path to other locations. If you are interested you should check out the actual plan. Its a fairly extensive document with a number of renderings.