Castor Ave. Safety and Streetscapes Improvements Project

County: Philadelphia
Municipality: City of Philadelphia
State Route: Route 1005
Local Name: Castor Avenue
Project Type: Highway Safety Improvement Project (HSIP) & Streetscape
MPMS Number: 111194
Proposed Construction Start: Spring 2028
Proposed Construction End: Late 2030
Last Updated: September 2026

The Castor Avenue Safety and Streetscape project seeks to improve Castor Avenue between Oxford Circle and Cottman Avenue. The project will beautify the streetscape and support neighborhood businesses, make it safer for pedestrians to cross the street, make public transit faster, and improve safety for everyone who uses Castor Avenue. Between 2018 and 2022, there were 197 reportable crashes on Castor Avenue. In these crashes, 5 people died, and 15 were seriously injured.

PennDOT, in partnership with the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA, has developed a final design proposal for Castor Avenue, based on community feedback from community meetings and a survey in Fall 2024. This engagement yielded 571 survey responses in 5 different languages. Community members were asked to rate different elements of the proposed design on a 1-to-5 scale, with five being the highest.

Key elements of the final design include:

• Pedestrian street lights (4.6 average community rating)
• New street trees (4.2)
• Curb and sidewalk repair (4.2)
• 4-to-3 lane road diet, featuring dedicated left-turn lanes (3.9)
• Upgraded transit stops (4.1)
• Raised bike lane (3.9)
• Speed bumps (3.7)

Over the course of this project, the design has evolved based on community feedback. Key revisions include an expansion of the streetscape and beautification improvements, and the removal of a concrete center median from the design. If additional traffic calming is required, speed bumps could be installed in the center lane.

The project partners have developed a frequently asked questions document based on major questions asked during the community engagement.

Fall 2024 Update: Project Proposal

The proposed design for Castor Avenue has been updated based on community feedback in spring 2024. The major change to the proposed design is to remove the proposed concrete medians. This was done at the community’s request to reduce the impact of the road diet on traffic and emergency vehicles.

Other elements of the project remain the same/similar to the previous proposal:

• Street trees and pedestrian lighting improve the sidewalk's look and feel, increasing light along the sidewalk at night and providing shade on hot days.
• Sidewalk repairs improve pedestrian access to local businesses and beautify the corridor.
• Upgraded transit stops create a safe space for riders to board and reduce the pedestrian crossing distance. Stopping every other block speeds up transit and increases parking.
• Traffic signal upgrades improve the flow of traffic on the corridor, allowing fewer travel lanes and better incident management.
• The change from 4 lanes to 3 lanes with added left-turn lanes makes it safer for pedestrians to cross and for cars to make left turns.
• Left-turn lanes allow cars to easily turn left at intersections, onto side streets, and into parking lots, which reduces traffic crashes for cars and pedestrians and improves access to businesses.