The City and Councilmember Gauthier’s office are moving ahead on the 47th & 48th Street Traffic Safety Projects by holding an open house meeting on February 7 at St. Francis de Sales School Auditorium. At the meeting, City staff will share recommendations for 47th and 48th Street north of Kingsessing Avenue and talk about next steps for 47th Street south of Kingsessing Avenue. 

Background 

In September 2022, Garden Court neighbors contacted the City of Philadelphia to propose a 48th Street Greenway concept – a new layout for the street. In 2023, the City announced a repaving project on 48th Street and the Department of Streets and Office of Complete Streets began discussions with registered community organizations (RCO) and community leaders on traffic calming solutions. 

Last September, the Office of Complete Streets, Department of Streets, and Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) held two public open house meetings to discuss the 47th & 48th Streets Traffic Safety and Complete Streets project. The goal of the project is to address traffic safety on both streets by installing traffic calming measures. More than 350 residents attended the open house meetings, and more than 200 exit surveys were completed with helpful feedback. 

At the meetings, residents viewed two design options and shared thoughts about the best path forward for each street. Option #1 includes small changes such as adding speed cushions on more blocks, adding additional stop signs along both streets, and adding painted pedestrian areas at some corners. Option #2 includes all elements of Option #1, and additionally proposed converting 47th Street to one-way vehicle traffic and adding parking separated bike lanes on both streets. 

What did we hear in the September 2023 meetings? 

Open House Meeting #1 

  • Location: 48th & Woodland Playground
  • Date: September 18, 2023
  • Results: Our first meeting included 120+ attendees and 85 completed exit surveys. Option #2 received an average rating of 3.7 (out of 5), while Option #1 received a rating of 2.8 (out of 5) 

 Open House Meeting #2 

  • Location: St. Francis de Sales School
  • Date: September 27, 2023
  • Results: Our second meeting included 250+ attendees and 167 completed exit surveys. Option #2 received a rating of 4.03 (out of 5 stars), while Option #1 received a rating of 2.8 (out of 5) 

What happens next? 

Throughout the Fall and Winter, City staff conducted additional traffic analysis and compared the options for both streets. This Spring, the Department of Streets will restripe 48th Street while 47th Street is scheduled for repaving in 2025. 

Join the City and Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s Office for a Community Meeting to discuss survey results, learn about City-recommended next steps on both streets, and share your feedback. Details below and meeting flyer here: 

  • Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2024
  • Time: 6:30PM – 8:30PM
  • Location: St. Francis de Sales Auditorium (917 S. 47th Street at Windsor) 

 If you can’t attend the Community Meeting, please see the project website for meeting materials and share your feedback by February 21, 2024 in one of two ways: email otis@phila.gov or call 215-436-9886.

For more information, please visit the project materials here.