Meetings begin this week to start making Philly’s deadly Roosevelt Boulevard safer

Meetings this week begin on how to make over one of Philadelphia’s most dangerous roads.

Roosevelt Boulevard (U.S. Route 1 in the Northeast) has long been considered one of Philadelphia’s worst roads.  A $5 million grant will fund a three year planning effort to make the highway safer says Mayor Jim Kenney.

“It’s unacceptable the past five years there have been almost 3,000 reportable crashes that have resulted in 50 fatalities 20 of which were pedestrians on the boulevard,” Kenney said.

Ken McClain of PennDOT says the goal of the meetings is to come up with ideas to enhance safety along the multi-lane highway which was built with a very different mindset.

“it was constructed in the early 1900’s, but I doubt when that roadway was envisioned by it’s designers and planners  that they ever anticipated the volume of traffic and high speed traffic that utilizes that roadway today,” McClain said.

Officials admit changes won’t happen overnight but the goal is to improve the boulevard as quickly as possible.

Meetings:

Thursday April 14th..6-8 PM Four Points Sheriton, 9641 Roosevelt Blvd

Saturday April 16th 1-3pm at Global Die Works, 4500 Worth Street.

Tuesday April 19th  6 to 8 pm at Lenfest Center 3890 N 10th Street

Wednesday April 20th 6-8 pm at Radisson Hotel Philadelphia NE, 2400 Old Lincoln Hwy, Trevose PA

Thursday April 21 4:30 to 6:30PM at Lincoln High School 3201 Ryan Ave, Philadelphia Pa.