Camden's worst street is about to see some improvements

CAMDEN - A busy street here is about to lose its reputation as one of the worst in the city.

Camden County is requesting bids from contractors to complete a multi-year effort to improve South 27th Street, a half-mile connector road between heavily traveled Marlton Pike and Federal Street.

The East Camden street, although a vital link for area residents, is a half-mile strip of often-patched and usually uneven asphalt. It's so narrow that residents routinely park on the sidewalk − or what remains of the sidewalk − on one side of the road.

“As a Pennsauken resident I drove 27th Street every day and anyone that has been on this street can tell you it was like driving on the moon,” said Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer, liaison to the public works department.

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He called the overall upgrade "one of the most impactful transportation projects in the city over the last 20 years."

That effort is expected to cost about $10 million, including about $3.5 million in state funds for the upcoming improvements.

Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen also vouched for 27th Street's “worst-road” status.

He noted improvements already brought a new water main in 2021 and storm water and sewer lines last year.

Workers also have paved alleyways along the county road.

“To see us, working alongside the county to finally address this street that gets residents from one side of East Camden to another and to take care of all of the utilities underneath it is going to be a major accomplishment,” the mayor said.

Here are five changes coming to South 27th Street:

1 - The project will widen the two-way road, creating an eight-foot-wide parking lane on its southern side.

Parked vehicles typically pull onto crumbling sidewalks on the street's southern sidewalk, with some drivers saving their spaces with traffic cones and other markers.

Parking's not allowed on the other side of the street, but some motorists will still wedge vehicles into gaps between the trees there.

2 – The roadway will get a "full-depth reconstruction," along with replacement of all sidewalks and curbing with ADA-compliant ramps.

3 - Traffic and pedestrian signals will be upgraded at the Berkley Street intersection.

4 – Streetscaping will be improved along the northern side, with upgrades to traffic signs and traffic striping.

5 - Drainage improvements will include replacement and upgrades to inlets.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email him at jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Camden road project to end sidewalk parking on South 27th Street