Track Renewal Project
June 9, 2017
UPDATE: Broad Street at Girard Avenue will be closed from 8p on Friday, June 23 until 8p on Sunday, June 25 for SEPTA’s Route 15 track renewal project. During the closure, northbound Broad Street motorists will be detoured over Poplar Street, North 13th Street and West Master Street. Southbound Broad Street motorists will be directed to use West Master Street, South 15th Street and Poplar Street. In addition to the closure, there will be lane restrictions on northbound and southbound Broad Street between Poplar and Thompson Streets from 8p Friday, June 23 until 8p Sunday, June 25. SEPTA Bus Routes 4 and 16 and Route 15 shuttle buses will be detoured during the closure. For detour information, visit the System Status section of www.septa.org.
SEPTA will conduct a track renewal project on a portion of its Route 15 trolley line from June 18-September 17, 2017.
The project will take place on Girard Avenue from east of Broad Street to just west Corinthian Street, including the east and westbound tracks on the Schuylkill River Bridge and the intersection of 34th Street and Girard Avenue. Most of the track in this area was last replaced in the 1950s. The street structure supporting the tracks has deteriorated due to weather, traffic and the age of the road surface. SEPTA will excavate and replace approximately 4,100 track feet and repave the track area. The new track will result in reduced sound and vibration because the new rail is incased in an insulated rubber boot.The new and improved track components will make for a smoother ride.
To accommodate the work, buses will replace trolleys along the entire Route 15 from June 18-September 17, 2017. Trolleys will return between Frankford and Delaware Avenues and 63rdStreet and Girard Avenue on September 18. Shuttle buses currently in use between Richmond Street and Allegheny Avenue and Front Street and Girard Avenue due to PennDOT construction will continue to operate in place of Route 15 trolleys. The project will start at Broad Street and progress west over the summer.
The inner lanes on Girard Avenue will be closed to all traffic in separate, multi-block construction areas. Girard Avenue will remain open for emergency vehicles and deliveries during the entire track renewal project. Lanes for local traffic will be shifted in the construction area, and detours will be posted. All side streets in the construction areas will be closed to thru traffic, but local traffic will be permitted up to construction sites. Parking will not be permitted in the area or adjacent to the tracks being reconstructed, however, exceptions will be made for those with special needs. Walking access for businesses will be arranged.
Normal construction hours will be Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Weekend work may be required to maintain the project schedule.
Temporary trailers will be placed on the south curb line of Girard Avenue at 16th Street. Parking lanes on the south side of Girard between 16th and 17th Streets and between 19th and 20th Streets will be closed so rail strings can be welded and stored until installation.
For more information, call SEPTA Customer Service at (215) 580-7800.
