A stretch of the loop road in FDR Park has been increasingly inundated with water, creating a mini-lake that disrupts traffic and frustrates visitors.
The Parks & Recreation department has even put up detour signs directing drivers, cyclists, and others to navigate around the water via an adjoining parking lot next to the FDR Skatepark.
Carlos Baiza, a skater who co-founded and helps run the skatepark, describes the situation as causing mass confusion.
When the park is busy, vehicles trying to avoid the large puddle on the main road often become trapped in the crowded skatepark parking lot, leading to arguments and frustration among park-goers.
The detour route is also plagued with potholes due to extensive car travel and erosion, prompting many motorists to bypass the detour altogether and drive through the deep puddle instead.
To make matters worse, the city is currently undergoing a major $250 million renovation of the beloved South Philly park, intended to address frequent flooding caused by climate change.
However, the ongoing work has not resolved the issue of water on the loop road, and it does not appear to be included in the multi-year improvement plan.
The state Department of Transportation, PennDOT, has stepped in to explore solutions as part of its long-term project to rehabilitate the adjoining section of I-95.
This highway, which looms over the park, is partly responsible for the flooding as untreated stormwater flows from the highway down to the skatepark and into the street.
Friends of FDR Park, a community group that oversees various programs in the park, has been pushing both the city and PennDOT to address the relentless flooding.
Despite their efforts, progress has been slow, and frustrations are evident.
“The Friends have complained bitterly, bitterly, bitterly, in writing, in person, to their face.
They’re very slow to act,” co-chair Barbara Capozzi stated.
“Enough already.
If I was running the place, it would be pristine.
It’s very, very frustrating.”
Despite the pressing need for repairs, the nature and scope of any potential fixes remain uncertain.
The Fairmount Park Conservancy, which was tasked by the city with overseeing the FDR Park renovation project, did not provide specific answers about flooding on the loop road, deferring questions to PennDOT and Parks & Rec.
In response, PennDOT spokesperson Krys Johnson affirmed the agency’s awareness of the drainage concerns and stated they are working alongside the city to identify possible solutions.
These solutions will be integrated into the Girard Point Bridge Improvement Project, which has a budget of $367 million for rehabilitation of the I-95 structures between Broad Street and Enterprise Avenue.
Although there is no specific schedule for when work might begin, phase one of the project is expected to be put out for bids later this year, with construction potentially starting in 2026.
Capozzi raised concerns about the timeline, expressing doubts that PennDOT would address the flooding quickly enough, with fears that it could linger until 2035.
The influence of I-95 on the park’s environment has been an ongoing concern in urban planning discussions.
A 2021 report titled the FDR Park Plan noted that untreated stormwater runoff from the highway creates a constant flow of water over the road surface, the primary cause of the numerous potholes that plague the area.
Moreover, water flows from other areas, including Broad Street and sections north of Pattison Avenue, further damaging the park’s infrastructure and compromising water quality in its lakes and creeks.
An outdated drainage system was established to collect water from I-95, the loop road, and the park as a whole.
PennDOT is currently assessing this system’s capacity and considering modifications to enhance its effectiveness, with efforts made to collaborate with the city on drainage improvements.
“We will collaborate with the city to determine the scope of the drainage improvements,” Johnson confirmed.
The Parks Department in Philadelphia has long faced challenges due to insufficient funding, impacting their ability to maintain the loop road properly.
This one-way route serves as the only access point for visitors seeking to reach ballfields, picnic areas, and other attractions in the park’s eastern section.
High visitation during weather-permitting days and weekends further complicates the maintenance challenge.
Several years ago, the condition of the road deteriorated significantly due to erosion, leading to multiple potholes that caused vehicle damage.
In response, Baiza and fellow skaters started collecting donations to patch these potholes with cement.
Following community efforts, the city eventually repaved the entire road and even painted in a bike lane in 2020.
However, Baiza remains concerned about the ongoing flooding, particularly relating to the I-95 runoff.
He worries that PennDOT’s planned rehabilitation of the highway could inadvertently harm the skateboard park, which represents years of labor by local skaters.
He also pointed out that FDR Park sits in a tidal wetland area that lies slightly below sea level, suggesting that land subsidence has exacerbated the flooding issue.
“I believe that everything’s just sunk, and the top of the pothole water is the same level as the top of the lakes,” he asserted.
The road’s elevation may have changed or the rising water levels could be to blame.
Baiza suspects that the ongoing debates over clogged pipes and drainage problems may not fully account for the water table level’s impact.
In efforts to address climate change ramifications, the city is enhancing the park’s resilience by digging into its center to form moisture-absorbing wetlands.
The soil excavated from the central area will be used to elevate the perimeter land, thereby creating new fields, trails, and playgrounds.
The city has also invested in replacing an outdated tide gate system with two new gates that will facilitate drainage of the park when water levels surge.
Despite these improvements, Parks & Rec spokeswoman Ra’Chelle Rogers clarified that this work is not focused on alleviating the flooding on the loop road.
“This flooding is separate from the conditions addressed by the new tide gate project, which continues to improve drainage in other parts of the park,” she explained.
Several community members have criticized the overall renovation plan, particularly the decision to clear hundreds of trees in the Meadows area, where natural growth and trails once thrived.
Last year, a court ruled against residents who sought to halt the tree removal, allowing the Fairmount Park Conservancy to proceed with its projects.
The conservancy intends to plant over 1,000 saplings in the park’s northwest corner next year to replace the trees lost during the clearing.
Proponents of the renovation argue it will provide essential sports facilities for the youth in the community, with city officials defending the regrading and wetland creation as necessary steps to mitigate chronic flooding across the park.
image source from：billypenn
