The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has awarded CDM Smith, Inc. a contract to advance accessibility improvements at three trolley stations. CDM Smith, Inc. will be doing all architectural, design and construction-related services for the 22nd, 33rd and 36th Street Stations.
The project supports Trolley Modernization – SEPTA’s program to transform the nation’s largest trolley network into an accessible, fast and easy-to-use system. In February, SEPTA awarded a contract to Alstom for the purchase of modern, fully ADA-compliant trolley vehicles to replace the authority’s entire aging fleet of trolleys.
SEPTA’s transformational investments in Trolley Modernization and accessibility projects on the Broad Street Line and Market-Frankford Line means 99 percent of subway and trolley trips will be through an accessible station by 2035.
“Over the last year, SEPTA has made significant progress on work to deliver more accessibility to our customers,” said SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon Sr. “We awarded a contract for new trolleys, broke ground on station accessibility projects and received additional funding to accelerate projects. Even with this critical progress, without new options for matching funds, SEPTA will miss out on additional federal infrastructure investments over the next decade – putting our region’s future at risk.”
The $4.9 million contract with CDM Smith, Inc. will progress the design of the 22nd, 33rd and 36th Street Stations to 100 percent. Once design is completed, SEPTA can advance on the construction phase.
These stations were built decades before the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are currently only accessible via stairs. Improvements that will make the 22nd, 33rd and 36th Street Stations fully ADA accessible and in a state of good repair include elevator installation; platform renovation, new signage, lighting and security cameras and waterproofing.
“Station accessibility is a core component of SEPTA Forward, the authority’s Strategic Plan,” said SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards. “We have made significant progress in upgrading our infrastructure, and we will continue to prioritize enhancements across the system to make SEPTA easier to use and more equitable.”
In addition to the three trolley stations, SEPTA is nearly finished with an ADA improvement project at Susquehanna-Dauphin Station, and construction is underway at Tasker-Morris Station – both along the Broad Street Line.
