PennDOT / City of Philadelphia – ADA Curb Ramps

Philadelphia, PA

To enhance accessibility for individuals with disabilities, the City of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 6-0 enlisted BL Companies to perform ADA Curb Ramp designs. Collaborating with contractors on various design/build initiatives, these curb ramps have enhanced key city locations like City Hall, Broad Street (spanning the Stadiums), and the I-85 widening project. All ADA Curb Ramps adhere to the City of Philadelphia, PennDOT and FHWA requirements. At each location, BL Companies conducts an initial survey to pinpoint the proposed ramp’s location, meticulously identifying all physical elements within the disturbance area. This process seamlessly integrates the contractor’s survey control to ensure project-wide consistency, resulting in the creation of an existing conditions plan. BL’s field survey team maps out existing curbs, utility structures, buildings, stairs, and terrain, enabling the design team to prepare compliant ADA Curb Ramp designs. Each proposed design includes slopes, elevations and reconstruction limits, and is placed to minimize disturbance and optimize compliance. In cases where existing features pose compliance challenges, BL Companies generates a Technically Infeasible Form (TIF) to explain why the ramp cannot meet regulatory compliance. Upon full approval from PennDOT District 6-0 and the City of Philadelphia Streets Department, the contractor constructs the ramp, and BL Companies performs a field as-built test of each ramp to assess compliance with the approved design and to ensure construction matches appropriate ADA Regulations.