Funding will be used to better connect City of Chester residents with the Chester Riverwalk Trail
CHESTER, Pa. – May 4, 2022 – The City of Chester, with support from the Riverfront Alliance of Delaware County (RADC), has been awarded $1,135,000 to fund the Highland Avenue Complete Streets Project, allowing for greater connectivity with the Chester Riverwalk as part of an ongoing effort to transform the waterfront. Funding for this project comes from the PA Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TASA), administered by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC).
The award will be used to rebuild Highland Avenue as a complete and safe street with a shared-use path for residents to facilitate access from PA State Route 291 to the Chester Riverwalk Trail, Subaru Park, Barry Bridge Park, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) Highland Avenue regional rail station. RADC also plans to renovate Norris Street as part of the Highland Avenue Complete Streets Project, which will involve the construction of 0.67 miles of bicycle and pedestrian facilities that will provide a critical link to the East Coast Greenway.
DVRPC’s Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TASA), that provides funds for the construction of the project, is a federally-funded initiative that allows the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to provide funds to construct pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve access to public transportation, create safe routes to school, preserve historic transportation structures, provide environmental mitigation, and create trail projects that serve a transportation purpose, while promoting safety and mobility. The Highland Avenue Complete Streets Project was one of ten projects regionally awarded from a pool of thirty-one applications in the Pennsylvania portion of the DVRPC region.
“On behalf of the City of Chester, we commend the Riverfront Alliance for its dedication to pursuing any and all avenues to secure necessary funding for projects that benefit our community,” said Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland. “I am eager to see this project come to fruition, and am certain that the impact it will have on our residential transportation will prove invaluable.”
“Funding the Highland Avenue Complete Streets project continues our commitment to creating livable communities, with access to different transportation choices. This project will connect people to trails, parks, a SEPTA station, and the Chester waterfront,” said DVRPC Executive Director, Barry Seymour. “We are proud to work with our partners in the City of Chester and Delaware County to support the implementation of the Waterfront Master Plan.”
Plans for the development of Highland Avenue were detailed in RADC’s Chester Waterfront Master Plan, which was unveiled in September 2020. The plan aims to guide the redevelopment of the waterfront while promoting better connections to the local community and establishing Chester as a regional destination to stay and live for residents, businesses and visitors.
About The Riverfront Alliance Delaware County (RADC)
RADC is a consortium of private sector corporations and nonprofit institutions that have come together to develop and implement programs and activities that serve as the catalyst for the physical, economic, and social development of the Delaware County waterfront. Originally established in 1996, The Institute for Economic Development, Inc. (IED) serves as an engine for economic and social development.
About The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVPRC)
DVRPC is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for a diverse nine-county region in two states: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania; and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer in New Jersey. DVRPC's vision for the Greater Philadelphia Region is a prosperous, innovative, equitable, resilient, and sustainable region that increases mobility choices by investing in a safe and modern transportation system; that protects and preserves our natural resources while creating healthy communities; and that fosters greater opportunities for all. DVRPC's mission is to achieve this vision by convening the widest array of partners to inform and facilitate data-driven decision-making. We are engaged across the region, and strive to be leaders and innovators, exploring new ideas and creating best practices. Learn more at www.dvrpc.org.
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