The City of Philadelphia has been awarded $16.4 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant to fund the Complete & Safe Streets Philadelphia: Vision Zero High Injury Network Corridors project. The award comes from the $5 billion Congress appropriated nationwide for SS4A programs, established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
The grant will be used to transform some of the city’s most dangerous corridors into safer routes for all modes of transport with an emphasis on pedestrian and cyclist safety. This includes Complete Streets projects along two routes of the High Injury Network (HIN) and a new Bicycle Capital Plan for the city.
“From day one 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,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “I would like to thank U.S. Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, U.S. Representatives Dwight Evans and Brendan Boyle, all of our federal partners, and our own Office of Complete Streets for all their efforts in securing this grant. Over the course of this administration, we have been able to land more than $200 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funded grants. This is a tremendous accomplishment that will be felt for years to come as projects become reality.”
Both of the Complete Streets projects will upgrade infrastructure and street safety in an area of North Philadelphia that has been historically underserved. The Complete Streets projects include:
- Hunting Park Avenue (from Wissahickon Avenue to Roosevelt Boulevard): A key transit route and part of the high quality bike network, this location is a priority corridor in the Vision Zero Capital Plan.
- Old York Road (from Erie Avenue to Lindley Avenue): This location received funding for design under the 2022 SS4A award. The 2023 award will fund project implementation.
Funding will also allow for the implementation of a new High-Quality Bicycle Network Capital Plan, which includes an education and encouragement campaign focusing on residents and neighborhoods previously underserved in bicycling services. The plan includes a bicycle demonstration project to advance traffic calming and separated bicycle lane facilities on more than 10 miles of the high-quality bicycle network in or along historically disadvantaged communities.
The City estimates $500,000 will be used to fund the Workforce Development elements of the grant program. Funds will be used to increase the representation of communities of color and women in the construction sector that, result in a proactive approach to Vision Zero and an increased ability to apply safety countermeasures across the entire system of streets.
“This is another fine example of leadership at the federal to local levels working together to impact the safety of our communities,” said Michael Carroll, P.E., Deputy Managing Director, Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability, (OTIS). “Our office looks forward to the opportunity to make the most of this funding which will allow us to develop and implement street safety improvement projects for all modes of transport.”
The grant is aligned with Philadelphia’s long-standing commitment to Vision Zero, which states a goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries from traffic-related crashes in Philadelphia.