Multi-million dollar grant to help fund traffic safety improvements in parts of Philly
The $25 million grant will finance both major, and simple, safety upgrades in seven high-crash corridors.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Seven designated high crash corridors at intersections across West and North Philadelphia are getting a multi-million dollar safety overhaul.
It's a massive boost to help fund the Great Streets PHL project.
The $25 million grant will finance both major, and simple, safety upgrades in seven high-crash corridors - many of them near schools and homes.
On Friday, Senator Bob Casey joined Mayor Jim Kenney at one of them - at the corner of Broad and Tioga streets in North Philadelphia.
"I know how hard it is for families on a daily basis. The least that the federal government can do is make investments like this. Investments in safety, investments in strategies to prevent death and injury," said Sen. Casey.
The areas with persistent crashes are also deemed historically disadvantaged.
Each corridor is listed on the City's High Injury Network, which identifies the most dangerous roads in Philadelphia.
"These are local streets that are supposed to be the backbone of our neighborhoods and community life. But the traffic patterns and conflicts that exist on streets like Tioga make them a very thorny challenge. The crash rate on Tioga Street is three times higher than the citywide average," said Michael A. Carroll from the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems.
The funding comes from a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act earmarked specifically for areas of persistent poverty.
