63rd Street/Cobbs Creek Parkway HSIP Corridor

Welcome to the 63rd Street/Cobbs Creek Parkway Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Corridor Virtual Public Involvement Meeting. This project will incorporate public feedback and engineering principles to assess the feasibility of appropriate safety countermeasures in an effort to improve the overall safety and operation of the corridor.

This site will be available for you to review and provide feedback on the project. To navigate the site, scroll down or use the navigation bar at the top to jump between different sections. Click any image to view it larger.

You may provide feedback through the Comment Form at the bottom of the site. Thank you for participating, we appreciate your input!

Introduction

Purpose and Need

Purpose: To improve multimodal safety along the corridor.

Needs: Reduce speeding and aggressive driving as well as targeting additional focus areas to improve pedestrian safety.

Project Limits

The 63rd Street/Cobbs Creek Parkway study limits are from Route 1 (City Avenue) to Woodland Avenue which stretches approximately 6 miles in Philadelphia County. 

The map to the right is interactive. Navigate the map by clicking and dragging your mouse. Use the + and - buttons to zoom in and out on the corridor.

Crash Info

5-year crash history (from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019)

697 Reportable Crashes:

  • 33% Angle
  • 26% Rear-end
  • 13% Pedestrians
  • 10% Hit Fixed Objects
  • 7% Same Direction Side-swipe
  • 5% Opposite Direction Side-swipe
  • 3% Head on
  • 3% Other Types

7 Fatalities

Public Feedback History

Public Meeting #1 - February 9, 2021

The first public meeting was held virtually on February 9, 2021. This meeting served to present the project to the public and discuss issues along the corridor. Specific topics presented at this meeting include: the HSIP program, a summary of the crash history along the corridor, the purpose and need statement, a review of the Cobbs Creek Parkway HSIP project, a review of pre and post installation of a speed table and a tentative timeline of the project. Some of the reoccurring issues expressed by the public at this meeting include:

  • Aggressive drivers/red light running
  • Lighting at the trail crossing
  • Pedestrian safety/pedestrian crossing
  • Road depature crashes
  • Safety improvements to pedestrians crossing the Spruce St/Marshall Rd southbound slip lane
  • Speeding concern and requesting more speed tables
  • Stormwater/Flooding Concerns
  • Trucks

Public Meeting #2 - June 30, 2021

The second public meeting was held virtually on June 30, 2021. This meeting served to update the public on the status of the project. Specific topics presented at this meeting include: a review of the HSIP program, crash history, and purpose and need statement; a presentation on the potential safety countermeasures considered; a discussion of the reoccurring issues expressed by the public at the previous meeting and potential safety improvements to reduce their impacts; and an updated schedule for the project.

Safety Treatment Options

Previous, Current & other projects/improvements on Cobbs Creek Parkway

01 / 07

Traffic Signal Improvements

Options:

  • Update traffic signal equipment.
  • Upgrade traffic signal supports.    
  • Upgrading signal equipment by replacing 8” signal heads with 12” signal heads with retroreflective backplates.
  • Add second overhead traffic signal where applicable. 
  • Evaluate left-turn phasing and clearance intervals (yellow/red time).
  • Evaluate Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPI)s.
  • Install countdown pedestrian signal heads with appropriate clearance time (walk time)
  • Pavement markings and signing improvements

Safety Benefits:

  • Pedestrian countdown timers can result in 8.8% reduction in total crashes
  • Left turn phasing improvements can result in a 16% (or higher) reduction in left-turn crashes

Road Diet Option (4-lane to 3-lane)

Evaluated Location:

  • Northern section with 4-lanes on 63rd Street from Girard Avenue to Market Street.

Safety Benefits:

  • Reduction of rear end and left-turn crashes due to dedicated left-turn lane
  • Traffic Calming and more consistent speeds and opportunity to install refuge islands

Medians & Pedestrian Crossing Islands

Evaluated Location:

  • Medians in urban and suburban areas can be defined by pavement markings, raised medians, or islands to separate motorized and non-motorized road users
  • Approaches to multi-lane intersections
  • Areas near transit stops or other pedestrian-focused sites

Safety Benefits:

  • Raised medians facilitate pedestrian crossings, improve pedestrian visibility to motorists, slow motor vehicle speeds, and provide space for lighting and landscaping

Proposed Raised Center Median along 63rd Street and Cobbs Creek Parkway Corridor

Existing (Left): Lane Separator Curb.

Proposed (Right): Raised Concrete Median Option.

The image to the right is interactive. Use the slider to compare the Existing and Proposed conditions along 63rd Street and Cobbs Creek Parkway Corridor.

Pedestrian Crossing Facilities

Raised crosswalks are ramped speed tables spanning the entire width of the roadway. The crosswalk is demarcated with paint and/or special paving materials. These crosswalks act as traffic-calming measures that allow the pedestrian to cross at grade with the sidewalk.

Raised crosswalks are flush with the height of the sidewalk. The crosswalk table is typically at least 10 feet wide and designed to allow the front and rear wheels of a passenger vehicle to be on top of the table at the same time. Detectable warnings (truncated domes) and curb ramps are installed at the street edge for pedestrians with impaired vision.

Staggered crosswalks are treatments in which the crosswalk is spit by a median and is offset on either side of the median. This configuration forces pedestrians to turn in the medial and face oncoming traffic before turning again to cross the second half of the crosswalk.

Proposed Raised Crosswalk

Existing (Left): Existing Conditions at Catharine St.

Proposed (Right): Raised Crosswalk Option at Catharine St.

The image to the right is interactive. Use the slider to compare the Existing and Proposed conditions at Catharine St.

Proposed Staggered Crosswalk

Existing (Left): Existing Conditions at Thomas Ave.

Proposed (Right): Staggered Crosswalk Option at Thomas Ave.

The image to the right is interactive. Use the slider to compare the Existing and Proposed conditions at Thomas Ave.

Additional Safety Countermeasure Option

Automated Red Light Enforcement (requires council approval)

  • Studies of red light running camera systems indicate reductions in overall crashes, angle crashes and red light running crashes by as much as 30 to 50 percent
  • The City of Philadelphia is working with Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) to install “Automated Red-Light Enforcement” camera system at the intersection of Cobbs Creek Parkway and 58th St/Baltimore Avenue

Automated Speed Enforcement (requires legislative approval)

  • Fixed-camera speed enforcement systems indicate 20 to 25 percent reductions in injury crashes, while studies of mobile systems indicate reductions of injury crashes from 21 to as high as 51 percent 
  • The City of Philadelphia is working with local elected officials to amend the “Automated Speed Enforcement” legislation to expand the implementation of such effort beyond just U.S. 1/Roosevelt Boulevard where speeding issues are most prominent

Automated Truck Enforcement (requires legislative approval)

  • Fixed-camera enforcement system to warn or enforce truck traffic restrictions within Fairmount Park Drive (experimental) 
  • Look to continue truck enforcement with law enforcement partners.

Recommended Safety Improvements

63rd Street and Cobbs Creek Recommended Safety Improvement Map Instructions

The map to the right is interactive. Navigate the map by clicking and dragging your mouse. Use the + and - buttons (at the bottom right of your screen) to zoom in and out.

Search for a location using the magnifying glass button (at the top right of your screen).

Click on a feature to get more information on the safety measures incorporated by the project.

Click on one of the boxes below to toggle the visibility of SEPTA Bus and Trolley Stop locations:

Click on one of the boxes below to toggle between the safety measures being proposed by the project.

Click on one of the Pedestrian Crosswalk Facilities to learn more about the proposed improvements for that specific location.

Other Improvements

City of Philadelphia’s Guide Rail Project

Philadelphia Water Department - Green City Clean Waters Program:  https://water.phila.gov/green-city/ 

Philadelphia Water Department - Millbourne Cobbs Creek Bank Stabilization:  https://water.phila.gov/projects/p50223/ 

City of Philadelphia Rebuild:  https://www.phila.gov/programs/rebuild/ 

Schedule & Timeline

The HSIP pre-design study phase is expected to finish in early 2022. At that time the project will move into engineering design. While engineering design is anticipated to last about two years, the department expects to issue more than one construction contract to carry out the 63rd Street/Cobbs Creek Parkway safety improvements, with the first early-action construction contract anticipated in 2024. Construction is expected to run from 2024 to 2026.

Comment Form

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