In September, three design proposals were unveiled for the Chinatown Stitch Project, and the official design has been chosen, writes Ariana Perez-Castells for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The Chinatown Stitch Project aims to reconnect areas of the community bisected by the Vine Street Expressway.

Specifically, the plan would reconnect the commercial center of Chinatown to the northern part of the neighborhood, where many residents live. 

“The journey to get here spans 57 years,” said John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation.

In 1966, the neighborhood got word of plans to build a highway through Chinatown, and since then, three generations of residents have lived with it.

The chosen design caps about 2 ½ blocks of the expressway between 10th and 13th Streets, and was chosen due to its minimized construction impact and cost.

The project’s first phase would cost about $160 million, so efforts to obtain federal funding are fully underway.

City Councilmember Mark Squilla wants the project to include spaces for recreational sports and green space, as Chinatown is the only neighborhood in Philadelphia without a public green space within its borders.

If all the funding is secured, construction could begin in 2027 and be completed three to four years later. 

Read more about the Chinatown Stitch Project at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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