On Tuesday, Jan. 4, it was announced that the City of Philadelphia will receive $78 million in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) funding. 

The funding will go toward making major safety improvements along Roosevelt Boulevard, which has been one of the most dangerous roadways in the city and the nation.

Senator Bob Casey has been among the biggest advocates for Philadelphia to receive this funding, which will allow the City to install new median barriers, realigned crosswalks, traffic signal upgrades, and new Business Access and Transit lanes to make it easier for buses to travel and to reduce accidents. 

“This huge investment will make Roosevelt Boulevard safer for drivers and pedestrians alike, protecting the many Philadelphians who live nearby and use this major artery to get to work and school,” said Sen. Casey in a statement. “This funding will invest in the transportation backbone of the corridor, better connecting marginalized communities and improving the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians.”

According to data from the City of Philadelphia, 12% of all fatal crashes in Philadelphia have occurred on Roosevelt Boulevard. Since 2016, crashes along Roosevelt Boulevard have killed at least 75 people and seriously injured 119 others. 

About 41% of those killed were pedestrians trying to cross Roosevelt Boulevard’s 12 lanes. 

As one of Philadelphia’s busiest and most important corridors, safety improvements would be a huge game changer. 

The new funding is part of the Route for Change Implementation Project, which was unveiled as a transformational traffic safety plan on Roosevelt Boulevard.

However, Mayor Jim Kenney noted that it has always been about more than just a plan.

“It is a roadmap for action,” he said, praising the work that can now be done thanks to the Mega Grant Program. 

“This grant will fund traffic safety countermeasures in over 45 locations along the Boulevard which include: traffic signal upgrades and modernization, intersection reconfigurations, new median barriers and pedestrian refuge islands, accessibility improvements, and other pedestrian enhancements,” Mayor Kenney continued. 

About 12.3 miles of Roosevelt Boulevard will get improvements, which spans from North Broad Street to the Bucks County line. 

The Route for Change Implementation Project laid out plans for near-term improvements through 2025, as well as guiding principles and design alternatives for the long-term in 2040.