May 26, 2017
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
A SEPTA subway train enters Cecil B. Moore Station on the Broad Street Line, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016.
A seamless, traffic-free ride to the Navy Yard? Could be possible, but Philadelphia commuters will need to wait until the summer to find out more.
The results from phase two of the feasibility study examining the viability of extending the Broad Street Line subway all the way south are expected in the coming months, according to a SEPTA spokesperson. Phase one of the feasibility study was completed in 2011.
SEPTA's update came on the back of last week's Twitter Q&A with Mayor Jim Kenney, who told a user that the Philadelphia Navy Yard extension of the subway line is the public transportation project he'd most like to see become a reality.
Extending the Broad Street Line to the Navy Yard. Would need significant federal funding to make it a reality. #AskKenney https://t.co/is5AlVii9R
— Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) May 19, 2017
The feasibility study, which is a collaboration between SEPTA, PennDOT, the city and other stakeholders, will give more insight into ridership, project costs and other details.
"Once this study is complete, additional planning work still needs to be completed, and if Federal Funds are expected for any part of the project, then environmental planning as required by NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) still must be completed prior to moving into any design or engineering work," SEPTA said in a statement to PhillyVoice this week.
Key politicians also have advocated for the Broad Street Line's 1.5-mile proposed extension, including Rep. Bob Brady and Rep. Patrick Meehan as well as Sen. Bob Casey and Sen. Pat Toomey, along with others.
The extension would provide an easier commute for the Navy Yard's 13,000 employees who work at 150 companies like Urban Outfitters and Tasty Baking Company, maker of Tastykakes.
Only 10 percent of those employees commute via public transportation – buses or shuttles – according to the Navy Yard's master plan, updated in 2013.
