PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Community members met in Mayfair Saturday morning to push for SEPTA to add a subway line along Roosevelt Boulevard.
“We’re here to fight for the future of Philadelphia,” said Jay Arzu, a community organizer who feels a Roosevelt Boulevard subway would keep Philly competitive.
“We can have vast economic development and equity, as well and have a transportation system that matches.”
The boulevard is considered to be one of the most dangerous roads in the country, where at least 75 people have died from car crashes since 2016.
Residents like Jen Ragen, who has lived in northeast Philadelphia for 39 years, say she is very much in favor of the subway being added.
She says she hears car accidents often from her house and was recently rear ended on the boulevard.
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“There are too many people on that road. We are all very busy. We are all thinking about a million things while behind the wheel and if we could do that thinking on a subway we wouldn’t be responsible for potentially colliding with other cars. Worse, colliding with pedestrians”
Spokesman Andrew Busch says, in order for SEPTA to make the project a reality, additional funding would be needed.
“For projects like expansions we would need to see significantly more coming on so, you know, a lot of things still need to be looked into about this,” he explained.
He says a study from about 20 years ago estimates that the project could cost nearly $3 billion. They now expect that rate to triple.
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“We’ve made the investment in the red light enforcement, the speed enforcement – that is working. We just need to take it to the next level,” said State Representative Jared Solomon, who feels it’s worth the investment to make getting around the city simpler.
Solomon added that the project would help connect people to more jobs and healthcare opportunities they never knew were possible.