PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Old City is about to get a little brighter.
The Center City District is getting $500,000, courtesy of U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, to install a new slate of streetlights along 6th Street in Old City between Chestnut and Walnut streets, adjacent to Independence Hall.
Paul Levy, chair of the Center City District, said relative to the blocks around it, that stretch is pretty dark.
“Visitors from Independence Hall stand there — if they see a darkness, they don’t want to come into the rest of the city,” Levy said.
This is the final piece to a lighting and landscaping project launched in 2019 by the Center City District in preparation for America’s 250th birthday in 2026, which also included improvements to Jeweler’s Row.
The funding comes from Congress’ relatively new Community Project Funding system, where members of Congress can submit funding requests for projects in their districts.
“So, very happy to be able to bring these funds home, to deliver them to a worthy cause,” Boyle said.