It's no big deal crossing the street. But if you're at 40th and Chestnut streets, the choice to cross or not to cross the sidewalk means more than just burning a few calories. It's a dangerous area, as far as some people are concerned.
The construction project at the northeast corner of 40th and Chestnut streets has been the target of many community advocates, who say that it fails to address safety issues.
"The fact that you can't walk safely on the same side of the street as the construction is a problem for many of the seniors who live at 40th and Market streets," Penn Praxis Executive Director Harris Steinberg said.
Steinberg -- who is also a professor at the School of Design -- has been actively involved with the ongoing project through frequent community meetings with the contractor.
Despite the present construction conditions -- which include a wire fence surrounding the area -- pedestrians are still not heeding the precautionary signs posted.
Steinberg said he has seen people walking on the construction side of the street instead of crossing to the other side to avoid possible injury.
"A lot of disabled people do get down 40th Street, but with a struggle," said Kathryn Laws, a member of the Steering Committee of the Friends of 40th Street, a group that aims to promote 40th Street as a link between people and communities in University City.
"I just don't think we were informed enough ahead of time so that we could have put some input in the traffic, the safety and the walkways," Laws said.
But Bob Hoe, a partner of Teres Holdings -- the Philadelphia-based firm that is developing the site -- said that pedestrian and motorist safety was always a top priority for the developers. He added that a number of warning signs were posted even before the construction began.
Hoe said that such measures as a barrier or pedestrian walkway were proposed to city officials but that the request was denied.
He added that constructing a pedestrian barrier along with a wire fence would either encroach on trolley operation along 40th Street or require a traffic lane to be shut down.
"We're not aware of any additional measures that can be accommodated within the constraints," he said.
Hoe added that efforts have been made to get people to cross the street whenever pedestrians are seen walking alongside the construction site.
Despite these initiatives, Laws feel that more needs to be done.
"They could put flashing lights up there in the evening because a lot of drivers turning the corner aren't going to be able to read those signs," she said.
When finished, the site will house retailers such as Power Yoga and the Jean Madeline Aveda Institute, an accredited cosmetology school. One hundred or more residential apartments will grace the upper stories of the nine-story complex.
