Philadelphia City Council explores subway line under Roosevelt Boulevard into Northeast
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- While the I-95 collapse has affected commerce up and down the east coast and rerouted commuters all across the region, perhaps the people of Northeast Philadelphia are feeling the impact the most.
The highway catastrophe led Philadelphia City Council to streamline a century-old idea of a subway line under Roosevelt Boulevard into Northeast Philadelphia. On Thursday, the council unanimously passed a resolution calling for public hearings to explore the idea.
Councilman Mike Driscoll, whose district includes the site of the I-95 collapse proposed the resolution. He thinks a subway line would have made a big difference for Philadelphians navigating the current I-95 crisis.
"I think they would have opted to take the subway in instead of trying to navigate all the way down the eastern boundaries of Center City," said Driscoll.
Jay Arzu is one of the main advocates for the Roosevelt Boulevard Subway Movement. As a University of Pennsylvania student, Arzu said it started as an assignment and turned into a passion about transportation equity.
"We want to open doors for those residents to bring our community closer," said Arzu.
The Roosevelt Boulevard Subway Movement created renderings of what a subway station in the Northeast might look like. Arzu said the idea for underground transportation in the area started 110 years ago when the Boulevard was first constructed, specifically designed with large medians intended for public transportation.
The idea never got off the ground back then and despite a few more attempts over the last century, the project always lost steam, until now.
"I think the I-95 situation sped things up because people saw we are over-reliant on our local highways," said Azru.
Councilman Driscoll says hearings including public input and expert research will start in the Fall. He's pushing for an analysis of potential ridership numbers and cost.
CBS News Philadelphia reached out to SEPTA for comment. The spokesperson declined to comment on the proposed project but did say it's not in its current capital budget.