PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia officials have finally committed to August 1 to re-open Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.
It was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic to create more outdoor recreation space, at a time when car traffic volume was low.
Councilman Curtis Jones, whose district covers most of MLK Drive, says he’s received more and more questions about reopening the road as traffic increases and the ongoing closure pushes more cars onto surrounding roads.
At the managing director’s office budget hearing, he asked for and got a commitment that MLK Drive would reopen to cars.
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Deputy Commissioner Mike Carroll, who is in charge of streets and transportation, committed to the first day of August.
He said the drive can't reopen right away because the city has begun renovations and repairs to the road while taking advantage of the closure.
Carol said that city workers have to do the stripes and paving, work on flood mitigation and spruce up the trails, but he says all of that will be finished by the end of July.
"I’m appreciative of the department to hear the concerns of the community and respond accordingly," Councilman Jones said.
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The decision is less popular among the bike riders and pedestrians who made MLK Drive the most-used trail in the state during the pandemic.
Bicycle Coalition Spokesman Randy LoBasso says he hopes the city will not simply open the road, but reimagine it so that it can continue to safely accommodate bikes and walkers.
"I hope the city uses the time over the next several months to figure out what re-opening really looks like, because the four-lane highway I don’t think worked very well," said LoBasso.
The city says it’s reviewing adjustments to the road configuration, and that MLK Drive will continue to be closed to cars on weekends.