Throughout the year, the City has started and continued the construction phase of multiple repaving and Complete Streets safety projects – many of which include parking separated bike lanes (PSBLs).
As the 2023 paving season ends, City and PennDOT crews have completed more than two miles of separated bike lanes to date, including a side path on Henry Avenue from School House Lane to Walnut Lane and a path under I-95 as part of the Girard Avenue Interchange.
An additional eight miles of separated bike lanes are under construction, including notable projects on: West Walnut Street in West Philadelphia, 13th Street and Market Street in Center City, and several PennDOT paving projects throughout the city, including Aramingo Avenue and Bartram Avenue.
The City of Philadelphia is dedicated to delivering the best possible bike lanes while prioritizing the safety of all road users in these projects.
Walnut Street
In 2022, the Chestnut Walnut Repaving and Complete Streets Safety Project completed construction on Chestnut Street bike lane – now stretching from 22nd Street to 63rd Street/Cobbs Creek Parkway.
In September 2023, PennDOT began the repaving process on Walnut Street from 33rd Street to 63rd Street. When fully complete, Walnut Street will serve as the westbound counterpart to the eastbound parking separated bike lane on Chestnut Street through West Philadelphia and into Center City.
Together, these lanes will greatly expand the bike network’s connectivity between West Philadelphia and Center City.
So, what is the status of the project?
Milling and paving work has been completed. The striping or painting of lane lines and crosswalks is mostly complete. The flexible delineator posts, which create the physical barrier between parked vehicles and people biking and walking, are currently being installed. There are educational signs on each block along the corridor to share information about the new road layout.
The Walnut Street bike lane is technically open between 22nd Street and 63rd Street but cyclists need to exercise caution while the PennDOT and the City continue to build out the infrastructure – including flexible delineator posts and bike-specific traffic signals
What are we doing in the meantime?
This Fall, the City will be adding temporary signage to four intersections where there are driver turn lanes and bike-specific traffic signals are planned but not yet installed. At these intersections, cyclists will be instructed to follow the pedestrian signals and other signs, which can include dismounting and operating a push button to activate a pedestrian signal.
These intersections are Walnut Street at 34th Street, 38th Street, 52nd Street, and 63rd Street/Cobbs Creek Parkway.
13th Street
In 2020 and 2021, the 10th & 13th Streets Repaving and Separated Bike Lane Project completed construction on the 10th Street bike lane – now stretching from Spring Garden Street to Winter Street and from Walnut Street to Lombard Street.
In 2023, the repaving process began on 13th Street between South and Spring Garden Streets. As part of the project, the bike lane will be shifted to the left side of the street, lowering the chance of cyclists falling into a driver’s blind spot, and flexible delineator posts will be added to clarify the bicyclist and driver space on the road.
Together, these lanes are a step towards creating a high-quality north-south bike corridor through Center City.
So, what is the status of the project?
Milling and paving work have been completed. The roadway striping is scheduled for early November 2023 with flexible delineators post installation to follow. The process of updating all regulation signs along the corridor will occur in November and December 2023.
Market Street
In 2018, the Market/JFK Vision Zero Pilot Project completed construction on the Market Street bike lane – spanning 15th to 20th Streets. In 2019, the City published an evaluation report that concluded that the street configuration should become permanent.
In 2022, PennDOT crews started construction on the Market Street Repaving and Complete Streets Safety Project, an extension of the Market Street bike lane from 20th to 23rd Streets. In 2023, PennDOT crews completed striping along the bikeway and installed flexible delineator posts and durable plastic curb between the driving and biking lanes.
So, what is the status of the project?
Currently, the bike lane is open between 15th and 20th Streets with operational bike-specific signals. The section between 20th and 23rd is open but people biking should exercise caution until proper driver and bicycle signal upgrades can be installed.
What are we doing in the meantime?
The Market Street signals are expected to be in place by December 2023, weather permitting. The City is also working to address the issue of vehicles parking and unloading in the bikeway. Additional flexible delineator posts are expected to be installed at intersections to block vehicular traffic around Spring 2024.
