SEPTA is upgrading one of its most active transportation hubs in Philadelphia. This week, the transit authority broke ground on a new Wissahickon Transportation Center in Northwest Philly.
The project will expand the current transportation center at Ridge Avenue and Kelly Drive intersection with accessibility upgrades compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, weather protection, safety enhancements, and new signage,
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The new facility will also improve connections for bus riders. Bus drivers will have bathrooms and break rooms inside the upgraded transit center.
The Wissahickon Transportation Center is a hub for 11 bus routes, serving approximately 7,000 bus riders daily, according to CEO Leslie Richards.
"This new, state-of-the-art transit hub will make bus service more convenient and reliable for the thousands of people in northwest Philadelphia neighborhoods who depend on buses to get to work, school, and other activities," SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon said.
The project is estimated to cost $45 million and be finished by 2025. The current center facility will remain open while construction is ongoing. All work will be done in phases to limit disruptions to bus routes and traffic.
"This is a critical transportation center that will improve the lives of thousands of existing bus riders," said Mayor Jim Kenney. "It will allow SEPTA to extend and add routes opening up new commuter and reverse commute connections for Philadelphia residents from North and Northeast Philly to locations in West Philly, Montgomery County, and Delaware County. Thank you, SEPTA, for taking us one step closer to our vision of a city connected by transit."
SEPTA has introduced initiatives to reimagine its transportation network. For example, through its Bus Revolution plan, the public transportation authority hopes to increase the frequency of routes while making schedules more straightforward and consistent.
They have also introduced its SEPTA Forward plan that revamps its Regional Rail services by expanding its equity for all riders across Southeastern Pennsylvania.
In March 2022, SEPTA received $9.8 million through the federal bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build two new end-of-route bus transportation centers in South Philadelphia.