PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The U.S. House of Representatives will vote Thursday on its own infrastructure bill. This is separate from the nearly-trillion-dollar package worked out by a bipartisan group in the Senate, but it could end up merging with that bill.
House members from southeastern Pennsylvania say that nearly $100 million in the bill would fund more than a dozen projects in Philadelphia and its suburbs.
Cobbs Creek Parkway, a road that's heavily used by cars, pedestrians and bikes, would get major improvements, thanks to a provision tucked into the bill by Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Philadelphia and Delaware County, and Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia.
Scanlon said the road urgently needs a redesign.
"It’s one of the most dangerous corridors in our region, and it’s the site of hundreds of crashes and multiple fatalities year after year," she explained.
The cost of improving the Cobbs Creek Parkway would run about $2 million.
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Scanlon mostly focused on transit projects, including upgrades to 69th Street and rail stations in Marcus Hook and at Philadelphia International Airport, and safety improvements to the rail crossing in Darby.
Evans requested money for pedestrian islands on West Chestnut Street, bike and pedestrian improvements at Franklin Square and safer access routes to West Fairmount Park, among other projects. His total requests, including his joint effort with Rep. Scanlon on Cobbs Creek Parkway, are about $20 million of the bill.
Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Philadelphia, proposed five projects, including safety upgrades on Roosevelt Boulevard and Castor Avenue and a connection from Frankford to the East Coast Greenway.
"This is a historic opportunity. We need to go big and be bold," he said.
His requests also run about $20 million. For those who are concerned about the cost, Boyle said that such moves are cheaper than continuing to put off addressing these needs.
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Rep. Madeline Dean, D-Montgomery County, requested safety improvements to intersections in Lower Providence and Perkiomenville, a road widening project in Lower Merion, and an extension to the Cross County Trail in the county.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Chester and Berks County, proposed repaving Rt. 22, expanding Rt. 222 and replacing the Schuylkill Avenue Bridge.
The Senate will take up the bill, but it will face a tougher road to passage. Ten Republicans have agreed to vote with Democrats for the bill, but it’s a fragile coalition.