Street in Pennsylvania, United States of America
This article is about the section of U.S. Route 1 in the city of Philadelphia. For an overview of the highway within the state of Pennsylvania, see
U.S. Route 1 in Pennsylvania
. For the entire length of the highway, see
U.S. Route 1
.
Roosevelt Boulevard,
officially named the
Theodore Roosevelt
Memorial Boulevard
and often referred to, chiefly by local
Philadelphians
, simply as
"the Boulevard,"
[2]
is a major traffic artery through
North
and
Northeast Philadelphia
. The road begins at
Interstate 76
(
Schuylkill Expressway
) in
Fairmount Park
, running as a
freeway
also known as the
Roosevelt Boulevard Extension
or the
Roosevelt Expressway
through North Philadelphia, then transitioning into a twelve-lane
boulevard
that forms the spine of Northeast Philadelphia to its end at the city line.
Historically, Roosevelt Boulevard is a part of the
Lincoln Highway
, the first road across
America
, which ran for 3,389 miles (5,454 km) from
Times Square
in
New York City
to
Lincoln Park
on the
Pacific Ocean
in
San Francisco, California
.
Today, Roosevelt Boulevard is designated as
US 1
. Portions are
concurrent
with
US 13
(between Hunting Park Avenue and Robbins Street) and
Pennsylvania Route 63
(between Red Lion and Woodhaven Roads).
The road is notorious for two intersections which have been designated the second and third most dangerous intersections in the country by
State Farm Insurance
, at Red Lion Road and Grant Avenue respectively.
[3]
The dangerous reputation of the road led to installation of the first red light cameras in
Philadelphia
in 2004. The road has been the scene of numerous pedestrian casualties and studies are underway to allow pedestrian traffic to be separated from vehicular traffic.
[4]
Route description
[
edit
]
Roosevelt Boulevard northbound past Solly Avenue/Holme Avenue
Roosevelt Expressway
[
edit
]
Overpass carrying PA 611 / North Broad Street and Broad Street Line over Roosevelt Expressway
The Roosevelt Boulevard Extension, also known as the Roosevelt Expressway, begins at
Interstate 76
(
Schuylkill Expressway
) in
Fairmount Park
adjacent to the
Philadelphia
city line, as an
expressway
also known as the Roosevelt Boulevard Expressway U.S. Route 1. It crosses the
Schuylkill River
via the
Twin Bridges
and runs eastward through the neighborhoods of
East Falls
and
Hunting Park
. The Roosevelt Expressway interchanges with
Broad Street
(
Pennsylvania Route 611
) and ends at an interchange with
US 13
(Roosevelt Boulevard), at which point US 1 merges onto the Roosevelt Boulevard and continues northeast along with US 13.
[5]
Roosevelt Boulevard
[
edit
]
The Roosevelt Boulevard begins at an intersection with Hunting Park Avenue, continuing northeast as a part of US 13. The road crosses Broad Street (PA 611) before US 1 (Roosevelt Expressway) merges in at an interchange and Roosevelt Boulevard becomes a 12-lane surface arterial with local and express lanes and at-grade intersections, carrying US 1 and US 13.
[5]
The road continues east through
Hunting Park
and
Feltonville
, where it curves and resumes running in a northeasterly direction. It meets Oxford Avenue (
Pennsylvania Route 232
) at a large traffic circle known as Oxford Circle (the express lanes pass through the circle via an underpass). The road carries northbound
U.S. Route 13
one more mile until it splits off onto Robbins Street and Levick Street (both one-way streets). The road continues to a large interchange with Cottman Avenue (
Pennsylvania Route 73
) and the
Roosevelt Mall
, followed by another interchange with Holme and Solly Avenues, providing access to
Pennypack Park
. There is access to both avenues from the local lanes, both north- and southbound. The boulevard continues past
Pennypack Park
and
Northeast Philadelphia Airport
, passing through two notoriously dangerous intersections
[3]
with Grant Avenue and Red Lion Road.
[5]
The road continues northeast, interchanging with
Woodhaven Road
(
Pennsylvania Route 63
), then narrowing as it approaches its end at an intersection on the
Philadelphia
-
Bucks County
border. After two traffic light intersections in
Trevose
in
Bensalem Township
,
U.S. 1
continues as a
freeway
to the north.
[5]
Public transportation
[
edit
]
The Boulevard Direct, a limited-stop bus route that operates along a portion of Roosevelt Boulevard
Several
SEPTA City Bus
routes operate along portions of Roosevelt Boulevard, with routes
1
,
14
, and
R
following the boulevard for a significant distance. The Route 1 bus runs along the entire length of Roosevelt Boulevard as part of its route between 54th Street and City Avenue in
West Philadelphia
and
Parx Casino and Racing
in
Bensalem
. The Route 14 bus follows Roosevelt Boulevard north of Bustleton Avenue as part of its route between the
Frankford Transportation Center
to the south and the
Neshaminy Mall
and
Oxford Valley Mall
to the north. The Route R bus follows Roosevelt Boulevard south of Pratt Street as part of its route between the Wissahickon Transportation Center and the Frankford Transportation Center.
[6]
The portion of Roosevelt Boulevard north of Bustleton Avenue is also served by the
Boulevard Direct
, a limited-stop bus route between the Frankford Transportation Center and the Neshaminy Mall. The Boulevard Direct offers improved travel times compared to traditional bus service along Route 14, with more frequent service and several bus stops located on the far side of intersections to improve performance.
[7]
Proposed Roosevelt Blvd Subway
[
edit
]
The
Roosevelt Boulevard Subway
is a proposed
SEPTA
subway line that would run along Roosevelt Boulevard. The route was first proposed in 1913 as part of the
Broad Street Subway
line from Adams Avenue.
[8]
Last studied in detail in 2003, the line was estimated to draw 124,523 daily boardings, approximately the current ridership of the Broad Street Line, and divert 83,300 daily automobile trips. Cost estimates ranged between $2.5 and $3.4 billion in year 2000 dollars.
[9]
The project however did not move forward due to lack of local financing.
[10]
In June 2023, Philadelphia's City Council announced it would hold hearings on the proposed subway following the
collapse of an I-95 overpass
that severely impacted highway travel in Northeast Philadelphia.
[11]
History
[
edit
]
Roosevelt Boulevard (US 1) northbound past Welsh Road
Proposed in 1903 by
Mayor
Samuel H. Ashbridge
as part of the
City Beautiful
movement, the 300-foot-wide thoroughfare originally extended from Broad Street to the
Torresdale
neighborhood, and was first named Torresdale Boulevard, then Northeast Boulevard in 1914 when the road was completed. On its extension to
Pennypack Creek
in 1918, it was finally renamed to Roosevelt Boulevard, in honor of
Theodore Roosevelt
. The road was designated
U.S. 1
in 1926, and was extended through
Philadelphia
to neighboring
Bucks County
in the post-World War II years.
The Roosevelt Expressway was built to connect the boulevard with the nearby
Schuylkill Expressway
(
I-76
).
In 1998 a series of gang-related
criminal rock throwing
attacks on cars driving near Ridge Avenue, Henry Avenue and Fox Street "terrorized" Philadelphia drivers.
[12]
[13]
In 2000, by act of the state legislature, the Boulevard was designated the "Police Officer Daniel Faulkner Memorial Highway" in memory of
Daniel Faulkner
, a
Philadelphia police officer
whom
Mumia Abu-Jamal
was convicted of having slain in the line of duty in 1981. The designation is alongside the roadway's official name of Roosevelt Boulevard.
[14]
[15]
There have been several plans to change the boulevard into an expressway-like artery, like the Roosevelt Expressway itself, and construct a subway underneath the boulevard, but no such plans have been acted upon.
Today, Roosevelt Boulevard is among the most congested arteries in the country. According to a 2001 report by
State Farm Insurance
, the second- and third-worst intersections in the country are both found on the Boulevard, at Red Lion Road and Grant Avenue, respectively, only a mile apart from each other.
Red light cameras
have been installed at these intersections, as well as Cottman Avenue, and have been operational since June 1, 2005. New cameras installed at the intersections with 9th Street, Mascher Street, Levick Street, Rhawn Street, Welsh Road, and Southampton Road became operational in summer 2007.
[16]
Additional plans include adding cameras at Devereaux Avenue and Tyson Avenue.
In 2016, the junction of the boulevard's outer lanes with Holme Avenue and Solly Avenue was rebuilt, converting the
roundabout
(known locally as the Pennypack Circle) into an at-grade intersection. Construction began in 2014 with an estimated cost of $15.5 million (equivalent to $19.7 million in 2023
[17]
).
[18]
On June 1, 2020,
speed cameras
were activated along Roosevelt Boulevard, with a 60-day warning period before fines are issued.
[19]
Major intersections
[
edit
]
The entire road is in
Philadelphia
,
Philadelphia County
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Google
(July 13, 2018).
"Roosevelt Boulevard and Expressway"
(Map).
Google Maps
. Google
. Retrieved
July 13,
2018
.
- ^
"Focus on lethal Roosevelt Blvd"
.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
. December 13, 2006.
[
dead link
]
- ^
a
b
"List of 'most dangerous' intersections released"
.
CNN
. June 27, 2001. Archived from
the original
on April 5, 2007.
- ^
"Study Evaluates the Effectiveness of Red Light Camera Enforcement in Philadelphia"
.
Government Technology
. January 31, 2007.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Philadelphia and Vicinity
(PDF)
(Map).
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
. c. 2010
. Retrieved
May 31,
2022
.
- ^
SEPTA Official Philadelphia Transit & Street Map
(PDF)
(Map). SEPTA
. Retrieved
November 25,
2018
.
- ^
"Boulevard Direct - Service Profile"
. SEPTA
. Retrieved
October 22,
2017
.
- ^
Saksa, Jim (May 19, 2015).
"Mass transit plans take shape for Roosevelt Blvd"
.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
.
- ^
"New Page 2"
.
www.libertynet.org
. Archived from
the original
on June 4, 2004
. Retrieved
January 12,
2022
.
- ^
Smith, Sandy (May 10, 2015).
"The Roosevelt Boulevard Subway Is Dead … Unless It Isn't"
.
Philadelphia Magazine
.
- ^
Prihar, Asha (June 14, 2023).
"Philly's Roosevelt Blvd Subway inches closer with planned Council hearings"
.
Billy Penn at WHYY
. Retrieved
June 14,
2023
.
- ^
Goldblatt, Michael (November 19, 1998). "A Deadly Game".
The Jewish Exponent
.
ProQuest
227261294
.
- ^
Frisby, Mann (October 23, 1998). "Cops Hold 3 for Throwing Rocks at Cars".
Philadelphia Daily News
.
ProQuest
429655707
.
- ^
"HB 2503. PN 3498"
(PDF)
.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Legislative Journal
(40): 1431. June 14, 2000.
- ^
Walker, Julian.
"It's Danny's way"
.
The Northeast Times
. Archived from
the original
on March 25, 2009.
- ^
"Archived copy"
. Archived from
the original
on January 7, 2015
. Retrieved
February 14,
2015
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
)
- ^
Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023).
"What Was the U.S. GDP Then?"
.
MeasuringWorth
. Retrieved
November 30,
2023
.
United States
Gross Domestic Product deflator
figures follow the
MeasuringWorth
series.
- ^
Times, Northeast (June 4, 2015).
"PennDOT supervisor gives update on Pennypack Circle project"
.
Northeast Times
. Retrieved
June 1,
2024
.
- ^
Madej, Patricia (May 21, 2020).
"Speed cameras will go active June 1 on Roosevelt Blvd., with warnings before tickets"
.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
. Retrieved
May 23,
2020
.
External links
[
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]
40°01′59″N
75°04′48″W
/
40.032937°N 75.079879°W
/
40.032937; -75.079879