Harrisburg City Council Approves Grant Applications for Front Street Safety Upgrades

Harrisburg City Council has approved applications to seek funding for pedestrian safety improvements on Front Street through PennDOT’s Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant Program, WGAL reported. The council’s action comes on the heels of a fatal pedestrian crash in August and a recent incident involving a blind man struck while navigating a local crossing.

Two Grant Applications Target High-Risk Intersections

The city’s strategy relies on two separate grant requests totaling $2.2 million. The larger application asks for $2 million to fund crosswalk relocations, ramp upgrades, and a new roundabout at the intersection of Front and Division streets. A second application requests $200,000 to construct a traffic signal at Front and Vaughn streets.

“These are all things that, when we’re talking about over 50 different crosswalks and intersections, add up very quickly dollar-wise,” Harrisburg Grants Director Antonio Megna said, according to WGAL. “And this is something that we can’t just fund ourselves. So this is why we need to go out and get a grant for all of that.”

harrisburg city council considers $2.2 million in safety upgrades for front street — Photo: wgal.com

The proposed changes involve shifting certain crosswalks from the south side of intersections to the north side. City planners intend for this layout adjustment to minimize conflicts between turning motor vehicles and foot traffic, alongside repainting lines and upgrading overall street lighting and signage.

Rebuilding Trust After Front Street Incidents

The safety push gained urgent momentum following two severe accidents. In August, a woman was struck and killed by a car while walking in a marked crosswalk on Front Street. Shortly after, a blind man was hit by a vehicle while attempting to cross the street, prompting renewed public demands for safer infrastructure.

Harrisburg City Council approves grant applications for Front Street safety upgrades

Local leaders point out that the existing trail infrastructure makes a fully functioning traffic signal at Front and Vaughn streets an asset for the municipality. “The trail infrastructure exists and installing a full fledged traffic light on Front and Vaughn would be incredibly beneficial to the city,” Rodrigues said.

Municipal Ownership Ambitions

These infrastructure funding requests coincide with a broader municipal effort. The city is actively seeking complete ownership of Front Street from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, aiming to exert direct local control over maintenance, design, and traffic calming measures along the heavily traveled corridor.

The success of the $2 million and $200,000 funding bids now depends entirely on PennDOT’s review and approval of the city’s Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant applications.