Improving Safety along Route 291

The goal of the Improving Safety Along Route 291 Study is to engage the residents and identify ways to develop a safer Route 291 to support the community.

The current design of Route 291 leads to multiple hazards for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike. The most significant problem is that Route 291 is a wide, straight, multilane road with speeding traffic, making it unsafe for residents, pedestrians, and bicyclists and cuts off residents from the waterfront, natural areas, attractions, and job opportunities. Road users must also navigate heavy truck traffic due to the industrial uses dominate this corridor. Collected data confirms the unfriendly road environment. Crash data indicates between 2015-2019 there were 249 crashes resulting in 9 fatalities.

The goal of this project is to find meaningful safety improvements for Route 291 that can also positively impact economic development opportunity. This could include reducing the number of lanes, center median, bike lanes, and green infrastructure to achieve lower travel speeds and provide a safer environment for motorists and pedestrians. Community input is vital to determining the safety improvements, as it is important the improvements are ones that residents want to make them feel safer using the road.

An additional challenge for Route 291 is that is has been identified as the preferred route for the East Coast Greenway. The East Coast Greenway (ECG) is a 3,000-mile multiuse trail route that connects Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida. The study will look at how facilities for the ECG can be accommodated throughout the Rt 291 corridor in Chester City and in Ridley Township from Crum Creek to Darby Creek.

To stay informed on this project, or fill out the Map Survey, please go to our project page!

Questions about Improving Safety along Route 291? Contact the Planning Department at 610-891-5200 or Planning_Department@co.delaware.pa.us.