Millions from 28 Philly red-light cameras fund statewide projects
Nearly $5.5 million collected from fines for red-light violations at 28 Philadelphia intersections will fund 23 safety-improvement projects in 18 municipalities across the state, Gov. Wolf announced Monday.
Nearly $5.5 million collected from fines for red-light violations at 28 Philadelphia intersections will fund 23 safety-improvement projects in 18 municipalities across the state, Gov. Wolf announced Monday.
The biggest chunk of money - $2.8 million - will go to five projects in Philadelphia, including $1 million for safety improvements at 30 to 50 "crash locations," according to a news release.
Michael Carroll, acting commissioner of the Philadelphia Streets Department, said the city would have three years in which to identify the sites and use the Automated Red Light Enforcement grant.
"Some of these locations we already know about, and some of these locations we'll have some flexibility to address," he said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation distributes the money through a selection committee with four representatives of the department and four from the city.
The largest grant awarded outside the Philadelphia area was to Ferguson Township, Centre County, which will get $498,900 to update its 20 red lights, the release said.
According to Ferguson's website, most of the 50-square-mile township is "undeveloped"; about 18,000 people live there.
When asked why Ferguson received such a large grant, PennDot spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick said, "Applications are reviewed on their technical merits, and that was the basis for the decision."
More than 194 municipalities submitted applications for the funding, to be used for projects that improve safety, reduce congestion, or enhance mobility.
The funds were collected from 28 red-light cameras in Philadelphia that generated $100 tickets over 12 months, Carroll said.
Abington Township is the only municipality outside the city that has red-light cameras, Kirkpatrick said, but the revenue generated does not exceed operating costs, so Abington does not contribute to the grant program.
Carroll said Philadelphia would like other boroughs, towns, and cities to fund the grants as well.
"We're always trying to encourage other municipalities to join the program to establish a more equitable basis for generating these funds across the state," he said.
Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties will split about $840,000 among six projects.
In Abington, officials will use a $264,400 grant to realign the intersection of Mount Carmel and North Hills Avenues, Township Manager Michael LeFevre said.
"It's a very odd alignment to the intersection, so we wanted to make improvements for sight lines and make it safer," he said.
Delaware County is the only suburban county not receiving funding from the program. Kirkpatrick said the grants are "very competitive," and due to the high number of requests this year, no municipalities in Delaware County were awarded funding.
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