South Philly’s Snyder Avenue SEPTA Station will be one of five Broad Street Line hubs to receive upgrades thanks to a $56 million federal grant.
The money will go toward improving and upgrading station accessibility.
“Station accessibility is a core part of SEPTA’s capital program,” said SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon Sr. “I am proud of the Board’s commitment to investing in projects that make our stations and vehicles easier to use, and I am extremely grateful to our congressional delegation for working to create this program to support our long-term accessibility goals.”
The funding is the first grant awarded through the Federal Transit Administration’s All Stations Accessibility Program, which was created in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law November 2021.
The Chinatown, Erie, Fairmount, Fairmount (Broad-Ridge Spur) and Snyder stations on the Broad Street Line will receive upgrades in addition to the 11th Street Station on the Market-Frankford Line. All six stations were built at least 50 years prior to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Currently all six stations are only accessible by stairs.
“In January, I stood with SEPTA officials at Snyder Station to highlight the types of investments that would be possible through the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-5th dist.). “I am pleased to see that less than one year later, federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is being used to improve accessibility at Snyder and five other stations, giving our transit-dependent communities the accessible and reliable transportation they need to thrive.”
The improvements will bring those stations up-to-date in sync with 25 of 28 Market-Frankford Line stations and 12 of 25 Broad Street Line stations that are fully accessible. SEPTA’s 12-year capital program is committed to make both lines fully accessible by 2034.
“The ASAP grant, for the first time, provides dedicated discretionary funding for legacy systems like SEPTA to invest in station accessibility projects, and we are excited to be able to make these improvements for our customers and the communities we serve,” said SEPTA General Manager and CEO Leslie S. Richards. “SEPTA stations are gateways to opportunity but only if they are accessible. Thanks to ASAP grant funding, we are closer to reaching our goal of ensuring that all customers can access and benefit from SEPTA service.”
Each station will be retrofitted with elevators to take customers between street level and station mezzanines and platforms. Additional accessibility enhancements will include the construction of ADA-compliant ramps, curb and sidewalk modifications, the creation of accessible paths of travel, and the reconfiguration of cashier booths to ensure that each station is fully accessible.
“Investments in public transportation accessibility are investments in people and communities,” said U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-3rd dist.). “I applaud SEPTA for their commitment to accessibility, and I am pleased that this vital federal funding that I worked to include in the Infrastructure and Jobs Act will make SEPTA more accessible and easier to navigate.”
