Three Key Facts:
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- A $78 million grant from the Biden-Harris infrastructure law will fund major safety improvements along Roosevelt Boulevard.
- Upgrades include median barriers, traffic signal upgrades, pedestrian islands, and bus lanes.
- Roosevelt Boulevard handles between 90,000 to 100,000 vehicles daily, making it one of the busiest and most dangerous roads in the city.
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Roosevelt Boulevard has a grim reputation as one of the city’s deadliest roads. Since 2016, crashes along this stretch have resulted in at least 75 deaths—41% of which were pedestrians attempting to cross—and another 119 serious injuries. The boulevard accounts for 12 percent of all fatal crashes in Philadelphia.
Now, Philadelphia has received a $78 million grant to fund critical safety improvements to make the street safer for everyone.
Latanya Byrd, co-founder of Families for Safe Streets, lost her niece and three grand nephews in 2013 to a crash caused by a driver who was drag racing on Roosevelt Boulevard. “[M]y (surviving) nephew doesn’t talk at all about what happened,” she said. “However, I have been speaking for him and my family, advocating for safer streets. There is nothing I can do to bring them back, but there is something I can do to make sure they did not die in vain. I have been advocating for change and I’m so excited that change is happening. This grant will give us much needed safety features that we need on Roosevelt Boulevard to protect the residents. This is another step towards our goal, and today my family is grateful.”
The grant, which was funded by the Biden-Harris infrastructure law, will pay for safety countermeasures in over 45 locations along the road. The planned changes include construction of new median barriers, redesigned intersections, upgraded traffic signals, new pedestrian islands and bus lanes. The changes are aimed at improving traffic flow, enhancing public transportation access, and reducing traffic-related deaths.
“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 U.S. Senator Bob Casey.
Roosevelt Boulevard is one of Philadelphia’s busiest streets. One-third of Philadelphia’s residents live within a mile of the boulevard, and between 90,000 and 100,000 vehicles travel the iconic road each day.
Improving safety on the 12-lane Roosevelt Boulevard has long been a challenge for city officials. A PennDOT study revealed that before 2020, 55% of crashes on the boulevard were caused by speeding and aggressive driving. In response, the city introduced speed enforcement cameras at eight key sections later that year. The impact was significant: crashes on Roosevelt dropped from 374 in 2019 to 239 in 2021—a 36% reduction.
With this new funding, a more comprehensive approach to road safety is finally moving forward.
