PHILADELPHIA, PA (October 25, 2022) – City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District) announced that he has committed $320,000 in capital funds to the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) in order to install speed humps and other safety measures on Washington Avenue, west of Broad Street.
The safety measures will be installed during the current repaving process on Washington Avenue. They will include the following:
- One full set of speed slots on the 1600 block of Washington, just east of Chadwick Street
- One full set of speed slots on the 1700 block of Washington, between Bouvier and Colorado Streets
Speed slots are analogous to speed humps or cushions and represent a measure to improve safety on arterial class roads.
Also being installed will be hardened centerlines, which will help reduce the elevated fatal and serious injury crash rate history associated with left turns off of Washington Avenue. The hardened centerlines will be installed at Washington Avenue’s intersections with Southbound Grays Ferry Avenue, Southbound 25th Street, Southbound 24th Street, Southbound 23rd Street, Northbound 22nd Street, Southbound 21st Street, Northbound 20th Street, Southbound 19th Street, Northbound 18th Street, Southbound 17th Street, Northbound 16th Street and Southbound 15th Street.
There will also be a hardened centerline installed at Washington Avenue and 25th Street to manage the turn radius of vehicles turning onto Westbound Washington Avenue from Northbound 25th Street. The City of Philadelphia expects to install the new safety precautions on the west side of Washington Avenue by the end of 2022.
“I believe that installation of these new safety measures will increase traffic safety all Philadelphians for years to come,” Johnson said. “Whether traveling by car, bike, foot, or otherwise, people will be safer on Washington Avenue. The $320,000 in City funding will ensure that these safety improvements come to the western side of Washington Avenue, as part of the repaving process. I want to thank OTIS for its partnership in getting this done without delay in the Second District.”
The $320,000 was committed by Councilmember Johnson from the Second Council District’s Improvements to Existing Facilities (ITEF) funds. Through ITEF funding, the Mayor and the 10 District Councilmembers can mutually allocate funds to City-owned assets throughout Philadelphia, including streetscape improvements, facility upgrades, and investments in cultural institutions.
“I am glad to report that our team has been able to design traffic calming measures for the west side of Washington Avenue. And we expect there is enough time to construction these measures this Fall, weather permitting, which will help reduce hazardous speeds and turning movements,” said Mike Carroll, Deputy Managing Director for OTIS.
Councilmember Johnson and OTIS anticipate that these safety enhancements will be the start of an ongoing process. They are already looking at additional opportunities to reduce injuries and deaths from crashes on Washington Avenue’s western half.
“I strongly support a wide array of safety interventions along Washington Avenue, from better intersection treatments, to better lighting, to improved traffic signals,” Johnson said. “I also want more school crossing guards at key locations to make sure children get across Washington Avenue safely, and better enforcement of traffic violations. I believe that Washington Avenue can and must be much safer, with the help of strategic investments.”
