December 13, 2023
Staff photo/PhillyVoice
Philadelphia will receive $16.4 million for pedestrian and bicycling safety measures through a federal grant. The funds will be primarily used for upgrades to streets in North Philly. Last year, Philadelphia received $30 million from the same grant.
Philadelphia can expect more bike and pedestrian-friendly upgrades in 2024, thanks to newly unlocked federal funds.
Members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation announced this week that the city will receive $16.4 million for pedestrian and bicycling safety measures through a Safe Streets and Roads for All grant. The funds will be primarily used for upgrading some of the most dangerous roads in the city. Some of the money also will be spent on creating a new Bicycle Capital Plan and bicycle improvement demonstration projects. Last year, Philadelphia received $30 million from the same grant.
The Philadelphia roads slated to get safety upgrades are in North Philly and include Old York Road from Erie to Lindley avenues and Hunting Park Avenue from Wissahickon Avenue to Roosevelt Boulevard. But the funds will also be put toward dedicated paths for bikes and pedestrians, concrete bus boarding islands, accessibility improvements and parking deterrents for bus stops — all part of Vision Zero efforts.
Nicole Brunet, policy director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, said that those parts of the city have multiple roads where there have been accidents resulting in serious injuries and fatalities. Though safety upgrades in those areas are yet to be determined, she said they will likely involve removing travel lanes and adding more protective space and curb extensions around the intersection, based on other grant upgrades around the city.
Much of the grant money that the city received so far, Brunet said, has been put toward underserved communities that aren't very bike-friendly or walkable, which she feels is an important effort.
"Communities that have been historically redlined, historically destroyed for highway projects are the ones now receiving funds to reconnect those communities," Brunet said.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman and Reps. Dwight Evans and Brendan Boyle all supported directing the funds to Philadelphia.
"From Day 1 of this administration, we have put a focus on revitalizing underserved communities and creating safer neighborhoods. Safe streets for all modes of transport is an area of progress I'm proud of," Mayor Jim Kenney said. "I would like to thank Senators Casey and Fetterman, all of our federal partners, and our own Office of Complete Streets for all their efforts in securing this grant."
The 2022 funds, according to Brunet, are paying for safety projects on Baltimore Avenue, Cecil B. Moore Avenue, North Broad Street and Market Street, among others. That includes traffic calming, traffic signal improvements, speed management measures and infrastructure for bikers and pedestrians. Many of those projects have started construction, she said, though none are completed.
"It's still going to be some years before we see these infrastructure improvements on the road," Brunet said. "But, obviously, having those large capital funds really helps to get the process going so that we can make our roads safer for the people that really need it."
Other areas in Pennsylvania to receive federal funding through this program include Delaware County, which was awarded $261,942 that will help fund pedestrian safety measures along 13 school routes in the Chester-Upland and Southeast Delco school districts. The county plans to collect data, study routes and explore high-visibility crosswalks, raised medians and pedestrian refuges.
The city of Bethlehem received $9.9 million, which it will use for protected bike lanes, intersection improvements and public transportation infrastructure on West Broad Street. Seven schools are located along that corridor, and Bethlehem leadership hopes these improvements will help with student safety.
For Brunet, it's exciting to see these other areas in the region receive funds, as well.
"I'm excited for this process to keep going and for more municipalities to be able to start to plan out safety improvement projects," she said.
