Washington Avenue, spanning from the Delaware River west towards the Schuylkill River, is one of Philadelphia’s most congested roads. Take a walk along the avenue and you’ll find a mix of families and businesses; affordable housing and luxury condos; a major bus route, public parks, and lots of concrete. It’s also one of the most dangerous roads in Philadelphia for pedestrians and bikers.
Washington Avenue is in the 12% of roads that make up 80% of all traffic deaths and injuries in Philadelphia. For years the city had been planning a redevelopment of the thoroughfare to reduce it from five lanes to three, while adding bike lanes. Although this plan was overwhelmingly popular with residents, Washington Avenue businesses fought the proposal, as well as a portion of nearby black and brown residents, citing fears of gentrification.
In 2022, after years of delaying the project, the city followed through with a “hybrid” plan. The whole avenue was repaved and a bike lane was added, but only the section east of Broad Street saw a reduction in lanes—from five to four.
The stretch of road from Broad Street to its ending point along Grays Ferry Avenue is largely unchanged. Over this specific fragment, businesses routinely impede the sidewalk and bike lane with loading trucks and other equipment. Meanwhile, Point Breeze—a predominantly black neighborhood that borders Washington Avenue—is gentrifying. Three active construction sites have completely closed the same sidewalk and bike lane that the local businesses merely disrupt.
Washington Avenue (2022-present) is a first-hand account of the avenue and its hostility to those of us who negotiate it on a daily basis.
