Abbey Gancz, PE, LEED AP, Project Manager, and Mike Mastaglio, PE, PTOE, Associate Vice President, Transportation, Planning, Design & Multimodal Ventures, along with Kelley Yemen, AICP, Director of Complete Streets, and Adam Smith, PE, PTOE, Complete Streets District Manager, presented the innovative "Reinventing Old City Market Street" vision zero complete streets project at the 2023 MASITE Annual Meeting in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia's Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability.

Philadelphia Old City District is actively enhancing civic life by developing connected public spaces within its neighborhood. This initiative is outlined in the Vision2026 Framework, focusing on revitalizing the Market Street corridor from 6th Street to 2nd Street. The initiative aims to reduce the frequency of crashes and improve pedestrian spaces, bicycle route connectivity, and transit stops as gateways into the business district along Market Street.

Urban Engineers was brought in to provide design services as part of its on-call contract. The project involves updating signal equipment, a road diet, public art, and pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements, including a curbless plaza and prioritizing walking, biking, public transit, and commercial loading.

The improvements along the four-lane Market Street corridor, from 5th Street to 2nd Street, involve transforming it into a more pedestrian-friendly space. This includes the replacement of four lanes with two lanes, the addition of protected bike lanes, and designated turning lanes. The project also includes:

• The relocation of conflicting utilities.
• Installation of protective barriers.
• The mill and overlay of the existing corridor.
• 2nd Street intersection reconstruction to create a curbless plaza.
   

These enhancements are to establish a safer and more efficient corridor, serving existing traffic while ensuring the secure movement of non-motorized modes of transportation.