Governor Wolf says Philly will receive funding to improve traffic

Gov. Wolf announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will be distributing $13.1 million in Automated Red-Light Enforcement (ARLE) to fund 41 improvement projects in 34 municipalities, including Philly. 

“This program helps communities across the state make investments in traffic flow and safety,” Gov. Wolf said in a press release. 

State law requires grant funding that is supplied by fines from red-light violation at 31 different intersections in Philly. The law says that the grant money goes towards projects that focus on improving safety, enhancing mobility and reducing congestion in an area. 

A press release states that the program had 116 applications, which is around $33.6 million in requests. Only 41 of the applicants were approved, including a few projects in Philly. 

The City of Philly will receive $6.6 million to fund its projects.

One of the projects includes Old City Market St. Multimodal Improvements from 6th to 2nd Street. It will include protected bike lanes, signal improvements, rightsizing, bus boarding and pedestrian islands, and mill and overlay. 

Another project will include low-cost safety improvements such as green bike conflict zones, pavement markings, rumble strips, and curb extensions. 

Philly will redesign the high-quality bike network streets, which will now include protected bike lanes and neighborhood bikeway corridors. 

Philly will also get a continuation of Philadelphia’s Modern Roundabout program, which will include intersection modifications at intersections, improve the sight difference between pedestrians and drivers and help reduce pedestrian vulnerability by reducing crossing time. 

The City will also have a Fiber Optic Signal Integration project. 

Additionally, Philly will be getting LED street lighting to help protect pedestrians and motorists. It will be promoting walkability in residential and commercial areas.