UPDATE (7/1/2024): The repaving work, which includes construction of a parking-separated bike lane, began on 48th Street last week. The Streets Department crews have been moving from north to south and got as far as Osage Avenue as of Sunday, June 30 (see photo).

(6/21/2024): Here’s an update on the 48th Street repaving and safety project, which will include many new layout features presented at a community meeting earlier this year.

48th Street between Haverford and Kingsessing Avenues will be re-striped soon, with the work starting as early as in the second half of June, according to Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s Office spokesman Harrison Fineman (Councilmember Gauthier has been working on this project with local community members and organizations). A precise start date is not available at this time.

Continue Reading

UPDATE (8/10/2024): The Garden Court Eatery permanently closed at the beginning of August. The space is now empty.

(7/1/2024): A popular local business, the Garden Court Eatery, is permanently closing after more than a decade of operation. The sign in the window says that everything in the store is 50 percent off before it closes. The Korean-American run business, located on the ground floor of the Garden Court apartment complex, has been a local spot not only as an eatery and grocery store, but also has been known for its nice selection of craft beer.

A GoFundMe campaign was launched by community members a few days ago to help the business. The reason for the store closing is due to “building managers refusing to renew their lease,” according to the message posted by the fundraising campaign organizer, Mohini Dutt, on GoFundMe. The business has been experiencing problems with the building managers for a few years, partially due to the construction of an additional apartment building on top of the store. There have been other campaigns to help save the store in the past few years.

Continue Reading

Click to enlarge. The PDF version of the map is available here.

SEPTA has recently announced that its annual Trolley Tunnel Maintenance “Blitz,” during which trolleys do not operate in the tunnel, is scheduled to begin on Friday, July 12, at 10 p.m. This project is an opportunity for SEPTA crews to replace worn tracks and overhead contact wires in the tunnel and perform some necessary cleaning.

Here’s how the trolleys will operate during the Blitz, which will take place from July 12 through July 29 (see the map):

Route 10 [T1], Route 34 [T2], Route 13 [T3], Route 11 [T4] and Route 36 [T5] are suspended between 13th Street and 40th Street Portal until 6 a.m., July 29. Subway-Surface Trolleys [T] pick up and drop off riders at any bus stop along the diversion routes.

Continue Reading

Westpark Apartments (Photo: West Philly Local).

The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA), which provides affordable housing for Philadelphia’s low-income residents and which has been working on the redevelopment plan for the Westpark Apartments in West Philadelphia, will receive $21.3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The grant will support the creation of a new street grid and pedestrian infrastructure to facilitate the redevelopment of the apartment complex located near 46th and Market.

The project will include an extension of the existing street grid in order to create new space for housing and connect the Westpark Apartments footprint to SEPTA’s 46th Street station. It will also create a new network of shared streets, sidewalks, and bike infrastructure that will help integrate new, forthcoming housing more seamlessly into the neighborhood.

U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) and U.S. Representative Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) helped secure the grant. The funding comes from a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grant, funded by the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act (IIJA).

Continue Reading

Philadelphia outdoor public pools have started reopening for the summer. Pool hours vary based on available staffing, but all open pools offer public swim from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily, according to the Philadelphia Parks & Rec. Additional public swim hours vary by site.

Here’s the opening schedule for West Philadelphia based pools. More pools are expected to open in the following few weeks. We’ll update this list when we have more information. This week’s full opening schedule is available here. Also, check with your neighborhood pool for more information here.

Week of July 1

Tuesday, July 2

• Tustin Pool – 5901-29 W. Columbia Ave., 19151.

Week of June 24

Thursday, June 27

• Butch Ellis Pool (39th & Olive) – 700 N. 39th St., 19104
• Lee Pool – 4328 Haverford Ave., 19104

Week of June 17

Tuesday, June 18

• Christy Pool – 728 S. 55th St., 19143

Friday, June 21

• Shepard Pool – 5700 Haverford Ave., 19131

Note: Kelly Pool (4231 Lansdowne Dr.) was expected to reopen on Monday but experienced a technical issue. It is now expected to open later in the week of June 17.

The Philadelphia Department of Streets will host a virtual open house on Thursday, June 13 to discuss the 30th Street Viaduct Rehabilitation Project, which will affect the area from Market Street to Walnut Street.

The project will include repairs to the existing steel structure and the replacement of the bridge deck, which is expected to improve safety along 30th Street. The project is now reaching its final design stage, and the City has scheduled a public open house to “review the planned improvements, discuss traffic control plans, and present the next steps.”

Thursday’s online open house will begin with a brief presentation followed by a Q&A session. To join the virtual meeting, click here or use the QR code in the flyer. You can also register in advance at this link.