The Streets Department is in the process of finishing the 48th Street traffic improvement project that includes a northbound parking protected bike lane from Kingsessing Avenue to Chestnut Street. This is an important connection to the protected bike lanes on Chestnut and Walnut Streets but that’s not all! There will be more engagement to bring a southbound bike lane to 47th Street next year providing more residents with access to Philadelphia’s growing high quality bike lane network. We encourage West Philly residents near the new bike lanes to send a thank you letter to the Streets department and Council Member Gauthier for prioritizing safety on 48th Street!
How did this come about?
Starting in 2022, neighbors near the 48th Street corridor in West Philly called on the Streets Department and Council Member Gauthier to improve the traffic safety of South 48th Street by adding a bike lane and traffic calming during the upcoming 2023 paving season. Over 600 people weighed in to get Council Member Gauthier’s attention.
After a year of community meetings led by the Council Member and the City, securing funding and prioritization by the Streets Department, we are happy to announce that the northbound 48th St parking protected bike lane from Kingsessing Avenue to Chestnut Street will be completed any day!
Along with the Parking Protected Bike Lane on 48th Street, the project also is scheduled to include freshly painted roadway markings and crosswalks, speed tables added from Haverford Avenue to Kingsessing Avenue on most blocks, repainted conventional bike lanes from Chestnut St to Haverford Avenue, flexible delineator posts and planters added on some of the parking separated bike lane blocks to separate travel modes. More on the construction notice here.
And that’s not all!
This community engagement process sparked interest in adding a southbound parking protected bike lane on 47th St from Chestnut Street to Kingsessing Avenue. This project design is still ongoing and will have additional community meetings in the next year with the goal of construction in the summer of 2025.
We want to say thank you to Council Member Gauthier, Streets Department Commissioner Kristin Del Rossi, Deputy Commissioner Richard Montanez, and Chief Highway Engineer Steve Lorenz for responding to the neighborhood’s concerns and prioritizing safety for all users.
If you live along the S. 48th Street corridor, please add what these improvements mean to you in the body of the email.
