Delaware River Port Authority, PATCO Franklin Square Station

Burns served as the engineer of record for the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) rapid transit line station in Philadelphia’s historic Franklin Square.

DRPA restored rail service to Old City Philadelphia with a contemporary, accessible, and architecturally vibrant overhaul of the 87-year-old Franklin Square station. Closed for nearly a half century, the reopening involved repairs to station facilities as well as replacement of critical infrastructure.

Burns revived the station’s original character, while upgrading infrastructure to a state of good repair. Enhancements included:

• Maintaining the station’s aesthetic by preserving historic wall tiles at the platform level.
• Constructing a glass headhouse to create an ADA-accessible, light-filled entrance. Structural designs required close collaboration with the architectural team as well as advanced modeling.
• Minimizing environmental impacts through a green roof system.
• Relocating a century-old, 36-inch-diameter water main from within the park to the nearby right-of-way.
• Integrating specialized electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, and technology systems, including life safety and security measures.

Burns led design and supported project construction. Management tasks involved overseeing construction milestones, ensuring disruption-free operation of PATCO rail service and year-round community access to Franklin Square park. Project services included:

• Project management
• Stakeholder engagement
• Construction administration
• Structural engineering
• Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering
• Communications, technology and life safety designs

Burns previously assisted DRPA to secure federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant funding.

Project recognition includes receiving New Jersey Alliance for Action’s 2023 Leading Infrastructure Projects Award.

Franklin Square station reopened in 2025.