U.S. 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard) – 2040 Alternatives to Transform the Boulevard

Counties: Philadelphia, Bucks
State Route: U.S. 1 
Local Name: Roosevelt Boulevard
Project Type: Roadway Improvement Project

In conjunction with the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA, PennDOT has initiated additional studies to refine the 2040 Alternatives to Transform the Boulevard. This study will identify a long-term vision to transform Roosevelt Boulevard by enhancing safety, accessibility, and reliability along Roosevelt Boulevard, for all users including pedestrians by supporting local and regional travel needs, changing land use patterns, and enhancing connectivity and mobility to local communities, while promoting economic opportunities. Roadway configuration changes and implementation of high-quality transit service (and potential transit station locations) along Roosevelt Boulevard are critical improvement components necessary to directly address the purpose and needs of the long-term project.

The initial phase of the study (Phase A) has been previously completed by the City of Philadelphia. In the next phase (Phase B) of the 2040 Alternatives Study, the Department has initiated a two-tiered evaluation process that will be used to select a preferred alternative (combined roadway configuration option and high-quality transit option) for Roosevelt Boulevard.

 The Tier 1 Analysis screening study will: 

• Further, refine the two “general” 2040 roadway alternatives initially identified in Route for Change with three transit options to create six “specific” alternatives; 
• Compare and analyze the six specific alternatives;
• Recommend up to three of the six specific alternatives for a more comprehensive analysis 

For this phase of the project, six alternatives are being examined: 

• Alternative 1A = Partially Capped Expressway with Light Rail Transit (LRT)  
• Alternative 1B = Partially Capped Expressway with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)  
• Alternative 2A = Neighborhood Boulevard with LRT 
• Alternative 2B = Neighborhood Boulevard with BRT  
• Alternative 3 = Partially Capped Expressway with Subway 
• Alternative 4 = Neighborhood Boulevard with Subway 

Note: “Subway” refers to an extension of the Broad Street Subway along Roosevelt Boulevard that assumes an extension of the Market Frankford Line along Bustleton Avenue to the Boulevard. The potential subway would begin as an extension of the Broad Street subway north of the Erie Avenue Station to meet up and follow Roosevelt Boulevard towards Grant Avenue. The subway would be above ground at both Tacony Creek Park and Pennypack Park. North of Grant Avenue, the subway would again surface and operate on an elevated structure to a location near  Southampton Road. (For reference, this option was evaluated and recommended in 2003 by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, though the subway alternative was excluded from additional consideration during the previous Route for Change phase.) 

The project team uses the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Simplified Trips on Projects Software (STOPS) to forecast ridership for the Tier 1 Analysis to analyze the three transit modes. The STOPS model is used to estimate daily transit ridership, the number of new riders anticipated on the new high-quality transit services, and how each transit alternative could result in a reduction in vehicle miles traveled for each mode. 

The candidate alternatives have been developed to allow for a comparative analysis of anticipated benefits, development of Preliminary Capital Cost and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) cost estimates, STOPS transit ridership forecasts, and other preliminary elements that focus on estimated safety, mobility, and environmental impacts. This task includes public outreach to present the results of the findings and to obtain feedback on the six alternatives. Completion of Tier 1 analysis with a public meeting is expected in winter 2024. 

The Tier 2 Analysis will follow, in which PennDOT, SEPTA, and the City of Philadelphia will evaluate up to three alternatives that advance from the Tier 1 Analysis.  The regional Travel Demand Model managed by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) will be updated and refined based on ridership estimates developed for the Tier 1 analysis. The Tier 2 Analysis will build on the previous STOPS forecasts and Capital Cost Estimates, including O&M, to further evaluate the following to develop a preferred alternative: 

• Operational modeling (analyzing traffic operations at ramp locations for the Capped/ Partially Capped Expressway); 
• Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) - The methodologies of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) predictive safety analysis will be performed on up to three (3) build alternatives at each of the studies’ two (2) locations;
• Environmental screening (including the development of a Purpose and Need Statement) and Land Use

In addition to December 2024 and January 2025 meetings, three additional rounds of public 
meetings are anticipated to be scheduled at project milestones in 2025.   

Preferred Alternative recommendation anticipated by Early Winter 2025/2026.