Citywide Implementation of a Digital Right-of-Way Management System in Philadelphia Estimated to Cost $10 Million.

Traditional regulation and management of the right-of-way (ROW) via physical signage and text has become insufficient for many cities as demand for the curb has increased. Philadelphia’s Digital Right-of-Way and Mobility Improvement Project, which took place from September 2023 through December 2025, was an effort to make ROW regulations and use digitally accessible. Funded by the USDOT SMART program, the project’s objectives were to (i) develop and test a user-centered system for digital ROW management, (ii) develop a new specification to digitize the ROW (i.e., Right-of-Way Data Specification (ROWDS)), and (iii) inform future policy development to digitize ROW management. Stage 1 of the project was a 112-block area in the Center City neighborhood of downtown Philadelphia. The project was organized around four technical workstreams: data topology and process mapping, smart ROW software, digital signage, and next-gen transit signal priority (Next-Gen TSP).

The City invested more than $1.8 million in federal funding to develop and demonstrate a range of smart mobility technologies. Key project implementations included:

• Open ROW Data Specification: Developed a new open data standard for representing right-of-way information.
• Prototype ROW Dataset: Created a detailed dataset covering roadway segments, lanes, intersections, and other ROW features.
• ROW Management Software: Configured and demonstrated commercial software to manage digital ROW information.
• Digital Signage: Deployed 40 digital signs.
• Cloud-Based TSP: Demonstrated a cloud-based Transit Signal Priority system integrated with upgraded traffic signal infrastructure.

Table 1. Stage 1 Expenditures and Stage 2 Cost Estimate