Strawberry Mansion Bridge, City of Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s National Historic Landmark, Fairmount Park features 8,700 acres of winding creeks, rustic trails and green meadows. Scattered throughout the park, there are many significant historical and cultural structures which date back to the 17th & 18th centuries. One the park's most notable structures is the Strawberry Mansion Bridge, built in 1897, the 1,250 foot long steel bridge crosses through the park and over the Schuylkill River.
 
Originally the bridge was designed to carry trolleys through the park, however, in 1947, trolley operation ended and tracks were abandoned. Over time the bridge severely deteriorated and was in need of restoration.
 
The City of Philadelphia devised a restoration plan to bring the bridge back to life. The bridge’s 18th century historical framework and original design were restored and the bridge's abandoned trolley track was adapted into a promenade for pedestrian and bike traffic.
 
As part of the team, D. S. Winokur Associates was responsible for bringing modern day civil engineering accommodations to the century old bridge. The firm completed land surveys and extensive topographic studies of the stairway towers that connect the promenade with the river banks below the bridge. The surveys became the groundwork for site plan design and the roadway and drainage plans.
 
In accordance with the American Disabilities Act, D. S. Winokur Associates designed new parking facilities with handicap access on the west side of the bridge. Handicap ramp facilities, sidewalk-street intersections with curb cuts and pedestrian protection guide rails and signs were built into the design.

Southwark Plaza, Courtyard Apartments at Riverview

As one of the first public housing projects in Philadelphia, the residents of Southwark Plaza and the surrounding Queens Village neighborhood called for rehabilitation and renovation of Southwark Plaza.
The redevelopment plan consisted of the complete reorganization of two inner-city blocks to provide for a total of 572,000 square feet of new apartments and townhouses. Two of the three high-rise existing buildings and all of the 266 low-rise units were demolished. Subsequent to the implosion of two existing towers, a third, 26 story, 220,000 square foot apartment building was completely gutted.
Major renovations of the 165 units in the remaining tower occurred and construction of 305 townhouses.  The tower now provides offices and community rooms on the lower levels, and apartment units for the elderly.
 
Before the implosion and construction, D.S. Winokur Associates, Inc., was called on to complete a detailed survey of the site area. Our team of professional surveyors and engineers completed an extensive survey which included field surveys of all existing sewers. This study led to the design of storm drainage for the new sewer profiles and their connections to existing sewers. Also completed was the overall grading plan including design of the parking courts and internal court yards, the paving and layout plan, the utility plan, and the soils erosion control plan and details.

Market Street East Redevelopment

The field surveying and office coordination capabilities of D.S. Winokur Associates enabled the firm to be a major participant in the redevelopment of East Market Street from Fifth Street to City Hall.
 
The project included the widening of sidewalks and the subsequent narrowing of the roadway traffic lanes to permit the relocation of all mass transit rider facilities to the sidewalk areas.  By restructuring the traffic flow to three eastbound lanes and two west bound lanes, the use of the curb lanes could then be utilized almost exclusively by mass transit vehicles.
 
The overall aesthetic appearance of East Market Street was enhanced by the construction of new sidewalks and curbing, defined pedestrian crosswalks, larger in-ground deciduous trees and both lower-level pedestrian and higher level vehicular lighting structures.
 
D.S. Winokur Associates provided the necessary field survey personnel and office staff to perform plainmetric mapping of East Market Street. After establishing both Market Street as well as the intersecting numbered streets, all surface features were located and plotted on based plans.  Existing plans from all utility agencies occupying space within the right-o-way area, as well as building plans from the abutting properties were obtained to facilitate the recreation of the subsurface infrastructure.
 
The preparations of the required base information plans by Winokur Associates provided the foundation for the contract drawings for the revitalization and reconstruction of Market Street East. This project exemplifies the firm’s skill and ability to collect and compile such formation.