The City of Philadelphia has recently received $25 million in federal funding for the “Great Streets PHL” project, which aims to make safety improvements to high-crash corridors in historically disadvantaged communities and areas of persistent poverty.

The funding comes from a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grant, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The funding will make improvements along seven high-crash corridors in the city, including the following streets in West Philadelphia: Continue Reading

SEPTA’s Trolley Tunnel, which connects West Philly with Center City, will close for maintenance for more than two weeks starting at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 8. Trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will not operate in the tunnel for the duration of this annual project titled “Trolley Tunnel Blitz”. Trolley service will begin/end at 40th and Market where riders may switch from/to the Market-Frankford Line.

During the 2022 Trolley Tunnel Blitz, SEPTA crews will conduct heavy cleaning and maintenance at all stations, replace worn track rail at various locations and four miles of overhead contact wire, as well as demolish and rebuild the full length of the eastbound 22nd Street platform.

The tunnel is expected to reopen for trolley service at 5 a.m. on Monday, July 25. For more information, check out this flyer.

An artist’s rendering of an improved off-street trolley station planned by SEPTA.

SEPTA is working on a Trolley Modernization Project, a multi-year effort that includes the replacement of its entire fleet of trolleys with new, longer and more accessible light rail vehicles. The plan also includes the reconstruction of trolley stations to make the platforms more accessible, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A new trolley line will also be added in the Parkside area as part of this project.

Currently, SEPTA is gathering feedback from the community via an online survey. This short survey provides some additional information on the project and asks for your opinion on different elements, such as the design of the new vehicles and stations, trolley service, and more.

For more information about this project and to access the survey, go here.

New Chestnut Street layout after the completion of the project.

Construction activities for the Chestnut Street Repaving and Safety Project, which will provide traffic calming and create a high-quality bicycle connection between West Philly and Center City, are scheduled to begin Tuesday, June 7, according to an announcement today by the City of Philadelphia Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability (OTIS).

In addition to repaving Chestnut Street with fresh asphalt, the following improvements are planned from 34th to 63rd Streets:

• New lane lines and roadway layout
• New crosswalks and flexible delineator posts
• A new parking separated bikeway from 63rd to 45th Streets Continue Reading

Indego bike share stations in West Philly.

The city’s bike sharing program, Indego, continues its expansion in West Philadelphia. The organization recently announced its plans to bring more bike share stations to the Spruce Hill area. Currently, these plans include the installation of new stations at the following locations:

• 40th and Walnut

• 41st and Chestnut

• 41st and Woodland

In addition, the Indego system has continued its expansion further west in the recent months. Since the beginning of the year, new bike docking stations were installed at 53rd and Baltimore, 50th and Haverford, ParkWest Town Center (1575 N 52nd St) and other locations. Plans for this year also included the installation of Indego stations in the Kingsessing area. To see the map of all Philly bike share stations, go here. Continue Reading

This spring and summer, SEPTA will be conducting a trolley track renovation project along 40th Street between Powelton Ave. and Spruce St. and at 42nd and Spruce. Vehicular traffic will be restricted in the work areas and the Route 40, 30, and 42 buses will be impacted at times.

Pre-construction work is scheduled to begin Tuesday, May 31 and may affect traffic and parking along 40th Street between Powelton and Filbert.

More extensive work is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 13. It will affect 40th Street from Filbert to Chestnut. This work will continue through July 1. Work is scheduled to resume Aug. 1 (no work is planned for July) and will take place on 40th St. from Chestnut to Spruce. This portion of 40th Street trolley tracks is expected to be renovated by August 19th. Continue Reading