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July 2024

The Philadelphia Zoo, America’s first zoo, had a transit problem. Accessibility to the park had become difficult due to the lack of convenient parking and traffic congestion on the adjacent streets.

2024 marks 10 years since the opening of the Centennial District Intermodal Transportation Center and a new parking garage at the Philadelphia Zoo. Pennoni led a team of consultants through master planning, design, and construction to implement the improvements which included a four-story parking structure, roadway/traffic improvements, and complete pedestrian streetscape incorporating sustainable stormwater management practices. The rain gardens continue to function well and provide educational opportunities and research data to Villanova University. The roadway and traffic signal improvements were designed to integrate with the I-76 ramps and the operation of the Trolley line along Girard Avenue. New state-of-the-art digital signing was installed to notify patrons of available parking spaces in the garage and other surface lots, informing their decision where to park. The iconic Zoo sign was developed as part of this project along with additional animal-oriented wayfinding signing in the garage, access routes, and park interior to direct visitors to where they need to go.

This project is an example of how good design is timeless. Since the opening, the Philadelphia Zoo has had a safer, more welcoming, efficient, and sustainable environment for daily commuters and regional visitors. This project was awarded the Community Impact Award from Women in Commercial Real Estate (CREW Philadelphia), the Award of Excellence for New Design from the Pennsylvania Parking Association (PPA) and the 2014 Diamond award in ACEC/PA’s Engineering Excellence Awards program.