JUNE 2010 UPDATE 
Initial work has begun on the Race Street Pier project. The engineers have been working for several weeks removing debris to prep the pier for park construction. The timber fender system has been removed and the underwater substructure work will begin the week of June 21.  James Corner Field Operations is finalizing construction documents and will have them ready by the first week of July. Following the submittal of the construction documents, there will be a two-week cost estimate process followed by the bid process which is expected to last through August with the bid award going out in September. 

A rendering showing the view of Race Street Pier from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge

PROJECT BACKGROUND 
The Race Street Pier, located on Columbus Boulevard at the foot of Race Street is one of the first public spaces to be designed and built by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and is an early action project as part of the Civic Vision for the Central Delaware Riverfront.  In February 2009, Mayor Nutter, together with DRWC announced funding was secured for design and construction of a one-acre public park on the vacant pier at the base of Race Street, immediately south of the Ben Franklin Bridge.  

DRWC and the City of Philadelphia issued a Request for Proposals to provide design, construction documentation, and construction administration services for improvements to what was then called Pier 11 with the goal to developing a publicly accessible riverfront amenity for residents and tourists. Twenty-six proposals were received from firms across the country and narrowed to four finalists who presented their credentials to the public in a community engagement meeting on June 17, 2009.   

With public input and advice from the DRWC Planning Committee led by Marilyn Jordan Taylor and Alan Greenberger, the Board voted to award the bid to James Corner Field Operations, an internationally recognized landscape architecture and urban design firm. The design team was engaged in August of 2009 and has been working on an accelerated schedule to complete the construction documents by July of 2010.  

The project site has been renamed the Race Street Pier in order to emphasize the location of the park and its connection to the city. The project ambition is to create a strong, distinct and valuable public space that reconnects the City to the River and provides a riverfront amenity for residents and tourists

In November 2009, during a public meeting at Festival Pier, the design team from James Corner Field Operations presented three different design concepts. With input from this public session, as well as from the DRWC Planning Committee, one design concept, “The Slice,” was selected. The physical design of the pier is split into two levels – an upper level with a grand sky promenade and a lower level for gathering and passive recreation.  A dramatic ramp rises along the north face alongside the bridge, dramatizing the sense of arriving in the space of the river.  A lower terrace supports a multi-purpose lawn and generous seating terrace with spectacular river views.

A rendering looking east, showing a view of the upper promenade 

The final public meeting was held on April 6, 2010. At this meeting Lisa Switkin, from Field Operations, gave a presentation on the final design for the park. She discussed the changes that had been made since the last public meeting—some as a result of public input, some as a result of engineering and structural issues that emerged, and some after detailed cost estimates were received. The public was asked to respond to the final design so that any final changes could be made as the team moves into developing construction documents for the park.  

The team will be working on construction and bidding documents through July, when the project will be released for bidding for construction. DRWC will select a construction firm in early September, and it is anticipated that construction will begin shortly after. A public groundbreaking will be held at this time—check back on the website for exact date and time. The project is scheduled for completion and a grand opening to the public in spring of 2011 and will serve as an early example of high-quality open space along the Central Delaware River Waterfront.