PennDOT held a recent meeting about proposed changes to Castor Avenue, from Oxford Circle to Cottman Avenue.
The big change will be turning Castor Avenue from four lanes to three, with a painted median, left-turn lanes at major intersections and installation of bike lanes.
Residents gathered at Solis-Cohen Elementary School to hear from PennDOT, the city Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems and HNTB, a PennDOT consultant.
State Rep. Jared Solomon and his staff were on hand. Solomon supports the project, but said feedback provided by residents could lead to changes.
In fact, changes have already been made based on feedback during a meeting in March. Most prominently, PennDOT ditched a plan to install a concrete median on Castor.
At the Oct. 10 meeting, residents were told the plan is not final nor is it fully funded.
Besides the so-called “road diet” to cut Castor from four lanes to three (including the left-turn lane), the plan calls for curb and sidewalk repairs; street trees; pedestrian lighting; speed bumps; and upgraded traffic signals and transit stops.
Construction will not begin until 2027.
In addition to offering feedback, residents filled out surveys at the end of the presentations.
Among those at the meeting were 2nd Police District community relations officer Mark Mroz, congressional candidate and Castor Gardens resident Aaron Bashir and former state Rep. and City Controller Alan Butkovitz, who also lives in the area.
Butkovitz was generally positive toward the plan. Bashir would like to see both sides find common ground. He likes the sidewalk beautification idea, adding that he’ll back whatever the community wants, which seems to be to keep Castor four lanes.
Overall, supporters of the plan cite improved safety for everyone who uses Castor Avenue and faster public transit.
Opponents argue that Castor Avenue is safe the way it is and believe the road diet would hurt businesses during and after construction and slow down commuters and the response time of police officers, firefighters and ambulance drivers. Also, they contend that few people would use the bike lanes. And they fear that Castor will be congested with cars like Tyson Avenue, Levick Street and Devereaux Avenue, all of which limit traffic to one lane each way. That congestion, they add, will lead to motorists using residential side streets. ••
