Live! Casino Philadelphia Contributes $2 Million to Stadium Traffic Project

Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia has agreed to contribute $2 million to help build a new westbound on-ramp at Interstate 76 (I-76) and 7th Street in the city’s Stadium District. The agreement resolves a more than decade-old dispute between the casino operated by Baltimore-based Cordish Companies and state officials.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) approved a Consent Agreement with Stadium Casino RE, LLC, the parent entity of Live! Philadelphia, during its Wednesday (July 22) meeting. The terms require Live! Philadelphia to participate in the funding of the interstate infrastructure project.

The on-ramp is designed to improve traffic flow in the area that becomes congested and bottlenecked during Eagles, Phillies, 76ers, and Flyers games, as well as major events at the casino.

Currently, the closest I-76 on-ramp from Live! is located at S. Broad Street. By including an on-ramp at 7th St., exiting traffic from the casino and Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field, and Xfinity Mobile Arena will have easier access to the interstate.

Live! Makes Good on Pledge

Cordish’s winning bid to develop a casino within Philadelphia’s city limits included a guarantee from the gaming operator that it would work with the Federal Highway Administration, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) to construct an I-76 on-ramp at 7th St.

The PGCB’s terms with Cordish, executed on Nov. 18, 2014, stipulated that the casino would “pay all costs and expenses associated with the design and construction of an I-76 westbound on-ramp at 7th Street.”

Over the following years, officials with Live! Casino completed a traffic analysis and met with the transportation authorities, including the DRPA, which owned the land upon which the proposed ramp would be built. During its 2019 casino relicensing hearing, Live! representatives informed the PGCB that the DRPA no longer supported a westbound on-ramp.

The PGCB renewed Cordish’s operating license and amended the 2014 terms to require Live! to guarantee at least $1 million towards an I-76 westbound on-ramp. The Consent Agreement reached this month doubles Live!’s commitment to $2 million, with the funds paid over five years. The money will come from the casino’s existing Community Benefits Program in equal annual installments, or $400,000 a year.  

“This shall fulfill any and all traffic improvement related conditions on Live! Philadelphia’s Category 2 Slot Machine License,” the Consent Agreement reads.

To accommodate the project, the DRPA has transferred the land needed for the on-ramp to PennDOT.  

On-Ramp Details

PennDOT projects the I-76 on-ramp at Live! Casino Philadelphia to cost around $15 million. Construction is expected to begin in the coming months and be finished in 2028.

Once complete, the on-ramp is expected to serve about 800 vehicles per hour that would have otherwise needed to use other westbound on-ramps.