PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA closed a Market-Frankford Line station in Kensington on Sunday for an undetermined amount of time, for major repairs and safety improvements. The closure, however, has residents concerned.
The Somerset elevated train stop is in need of major work.
"Both elevators have been damaged by urination, by discarded needles being jammed into the floor boards, and the mechanics have been damaged beyond repair," said SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards.
"We need to close because it's hard for us to access the station right now with all of the activity, a lot of aggressive behavior as well. So we need to keep it safe for both our customers as well as for our employees."
The Huntington station is about a third of a mile from the Somerset station. The Allegheny station is about two-thirds of a mile away, but many residents say walking through those areas is easier said than done.
"To the south, you have to go through dark tunnels to cross underneath the Conrail tracks," said Dr. Bill McKinney, executive director of the New Kensington Community Development Corporation, who also lives a couple blocks from Somerset Station.
"Or you can go to the north to the Allegheny station, but it is the epicenter of the opioid epidemic at this point, the epicenter of the city’s issues with unsheltered individuals."
Pastor Burton Gates of the Liberty Baptist Church said he understands the concerns. He said he spreads the word of God on the streets, where homelessness and drug addiction are a way of life.
"It’s almost like it’s legal where we are at," he said. "It’s nothing to see somebody with a needle stuck on their arm at any part of the day where I live. I’m three blocks from the station."
"If you haven’t been in Kensington, walk through the streets of Kensington," said resident Gwen Collier-Jefferson.
"You can’t speak on it. I hear a lot of people speak on it, (saying) 'It won’t be that bad, it’s just a couple of blocks down.' No, you walk through that and you tell me how you feel."
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An alliance of Kensington-based community development corporations, nonprofits and civic associations will hold a "March for Safety and Solutions" on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. along Kensington Avenue, from the Somerset to Allegheny stations.
The protest will call for better communication from SEPTA and input into the project, plus a reopening timeline and increased shuttle service along Kensington Avenue. They also want to raise awareness for the need for additional services to help those struggling with homelessness and addiction.
"These are things that we want to be able to address and they are not being addressed right now," said McKinney. "It's unacceptable the conditions that SEPTA workers have to deal with, and it's unacceptable the conditions that the residents have to deal with. We want to support each other in finding actual solutions to this problem."
SEPTA said it will provide updates on the work as it progresses, and plans to hold community meetings to update residents on the project.
"We are talking with the communities. We are working with Councilmembers Sanchez and Squilla," said Richards, "talking to community groups, letting them know other options that are in the area."
However, the agency said workers need to get into the station first for a full assessment before a repair timeline can be established.