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Urban Participates in the Infill Philadelphia: Soak It Up! Exhibition
Publication Date
January 10th 2013
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 As participants of the Infill Philadelphia: Soak It Up! exhibition, Urban Engineers and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission collaborated to address traffic conflicts and stormwater runoff at the five-way intersection near Mt. Airy’s Stenton Station.

 

The Infill Philadelphia: Soak It Up! exhibition is a design series hosted by the Community Design Collaborative, Philadelphia Water Department, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that called for examples of how green stormwater infrastructure could revitalize urban neighborhoods. Last fall, these partners hosted an exhibition of 40 such projects – including the conceptual redesign of the Stenton Station roundabout.

 

The existing five-point intersection at Ardleigh Street, E. Phil Ellena Street, and E. Vernon Road, poses several traffic and pedestrian challenges and does little to slow stormwater runoff. The proposed reconfiguration called for a roundabout that incorporates stormwater management and landscape features into the design.

 

The result is an infrastructure investment that provides a three-fold benefit – efficient and understandable circulation, diversion of stormwater away from the combined sewer system, and an aesthetically pleasing focal point for the community. Stormwater management features and landscaping would be located within the splitter islands created by the roundabout. These islands would also serve as refuges to enhance pedestrian safety and shorten crossing distances.

 

David Vodila, AICP, led Urban Engineers effort and collaborated with Matt Wysong of the City of Philadelphia Planning Commission to showcase the potential of this intersection to serve as a gateway to the Stenton Station. This concept will be used by the Planning Commission in community outreach efforts in the Northwest District.