Penn's Landing Park project to break ground at last

A project over I-95 that's been debated for decades is finally getting started.

Why it matters: The project will reconnect Old City to the waterfront after it was severed when the highway was built in the 1970s.

Driving the news: State and city officials will gather at Penn's Landing Wednesday at 9:30am for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction on the I-95 cap and park.

• Preliminary work started in March, but the ceremony was postponed for three months following the deadly I-95 collapse caused by a tanker fire, per Billy Penn.

Details: The nearly $329 million project — a collaboration between the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and local, state and private partners — will replace the existing cap over I-95 and Columbus Boulevard and build a larger span from Front Street to the river and Chestnut and Walnut streets.

• The Park at Penn's Landing, which is expected to cost an additional $95 million, will include open space for performances and festivals; food and drink options; kids' play areas; gardens; and a water-play area.

Flashback: While the project has been in the works since at least 2011, the debate over capping the highway began in the 1960s.

What's ahead: The project is expected to take two years to complete.

Be smart: Drivers should expect full closures of I-95, highway ramps and Columbus Boulevard near the project area during major demolition and construction periods, as well as overnight, transportation officials have said.

• The detour route will be I-676 and I-76.