The money will help pay for construction and equipment at the facility at 4101 Market St., where work began in December. The project is about 35% complete, according to the Managing Director’s Office, and is expected to be finished by late April if there are no major interruptions, spokesperson Keisha McCarty said.

The city previously approved and set aside $50 million for the project through annual budgets. McCarty put the total cost at about $95 million.

The new lab will replace the department’s undersized, outdated facility in North Philadelphia. It is intended to help investigators process evidence—including firearms, drugs, DNA and cellphones—more quickly. District Attorney Larry Krasner has argued that improved forensic capacity could also help prosecutors secure convictions. He was not available for comment.

The effort gained urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Philadelphia and other major cities experienced a surge in gun violence. In 2024, Krasner called for the facility to open as soon as possible, warning that delays could allow offenders to evade accountability and leave innocent people at risk of being jailed.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, whose district includes the site, said the University City location puts the lab near universities and life-sciences companies, offering access to scientific advances. She also said locating it in West Philadelphia signals that the resource is meant to serve communities heavily affected by gun violence.

Police spokesperson Shawn Ritchie called the facility an important step toward Mayor Cherelle Parker’s goal of making Philadelphia one of the country’s safest cities. He said stronger forensic science can support investigations, scientific integrity, transparency and accountability—all factors in public trust and public safety.

The project took years to reach construction. Former Mayor Jim Kenney left office in early 2024 without selecting a site, and the Market Street property was chosen the following March after delays related in part to the pandemic and the mayoral transition. Parker evaluated potential locations before selecting the existing lab and office space, which is being adapted for police forensics.

At a committee hearing last week, Finance Committee Chair Katherine Gilmore Richardson said the public had been asking the city to modernize the “back end” of police operations. Council advanced the spending measure unanimously before Thursday’s final vote.