Overview

Background

The Roxborough Avenue stairway is located between Boone Street and Terrace Street in Manayunk. First built in the late 1920s, the newly constructed stairway will continue to connect residents with nearby religious institutions, Pretzel Park, and Manayunk’s commercial corridor along Main Street. Additionally, the location of the stairway is itself a beautiful greenspace separated from the sound of nearby traffic and shaded by trees along the steep hillside.

This project involved the demolition and removal of the existing riveted steel and concrete staircase and the repair or replacement of existing piers (foundations for the stairway’s landings). The new staircase replaces the previous concrete tread design, old steel stringers and railings with a durable, galvanized steel structure, stair treads, and new railings.

The stairway is 67 feet tall with 114 steps between lower Boone Street and Terrace Street. It also includes an offshoot connecting to upper Boone Street. This section is 16 feet tall and includes 27 additional steps.

Project details

• The stairway connects lower Boone Street with Terrace Street and includes an off-shoot connecting to upper Boone Street.
• 67 feet tall with 114 steps from lower Boone Street to Terrace Street.
• The off-shoot stairway to upper Boone Street is 16 feet tall and includes 27 additional steps.
• 141 total steps on the stairway structure.
• The steps are a steel grate design for easy drainage and improved traction.
• 415 feet of galvanized steel railing.
• The structure includes 5 completely new concrete piers and landings, and 6 concrete landings utilizing rehabilitated stone piers from the original staircase structure.

Funding

City of Philadelphia Capital Funds

Contact

If you have questions, email streets@phila.gov.

Team

Project team

• Streets Department of Transportation (StreetsDOT)
• Athena Contracting, Inc.
• Johnson, Mirmiran, & Thompson (JMT)

Partners

• Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr. (District 4)
• Representative Tarik Khan (District 194)

Timeline

Photos