Rt. 291, an industrial highway in Chester, has seen hundreds of crashes and more than a dozen fatalities in the past few years impacting neighborhoods along its corridor, writes Justin Udo for KYW Newsradio.

Now the highway is being made safer and more welcoming by improving how it connects and interacts with the communities around it.

There have been nearly 300 accidents and at last 13 fatalities, according to Delaware County Councilwoman Elaine Paul Schaeffer.

“We heard from residents, all up and down the corridor, really some heartbreaking stories about how dangerous it is to live there, to live near it, to drive on it,” she said.

The county will use a $2.5 million federal grant to make safety improvements.

The problem is that a major industrial highway was put down in the middle of a neighborhood, creating division, disconnecting people from the waterfront and the businesses down there, Schaeffer said.

“This is a real opportunity to make this a neighborhood again.”

The improvements will also connect the city of Chester to the waterfront and incorporate the East Coast Greenway.

Some improvements can be made immediately, like adding more traffic lights. A complete overhaul will take years.

Read more about proposed improvements along the Rt. 291 corridor at KYW Newsradio.