BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BRIDGE
Camden, NJ 2018-Ongoing
Benjamin Franklin Bridge Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Camden, New Jersey | 2018-Present
The Benjamin Franklin Bridge is a historic bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia, PA to Camden, NJ. The bridge’s drainage system currently delivers surface water down drain leaders to the asphalt pavement areas below. Due to the nature of the area below the bridge this water sheetflows off the site and into municipal sewers where it quickly makes its way into the Delaware River untreated.
The design of a new green stormwater infrastructure system strives to celebrate the flow and treatment of water by making gray and green infrastructure visible and engaging. The water management structures, including the outfalls, check dam, and weirs use standard concrete curbing as a material reference to the concrete catch basins, and juxtapose simple forms of ‘gray’ infrastructure within a colorful and dynamic plant community. A system of interpretive signage on the concrete elements and within the plantings communicates the functionality of the system through text and visual graphics. The new multi-modal pathway follows an undulating curve along the length of the system to enhance the visual-spatial experience of the site
