The City, SEPTA and PennDOT will begin construction this Monday, August 16 of bus-only lanes on Market Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard as part of an 18-month pilot project.
Roughly half of all users of Market and JFK Boulevard get around on buses. In fact, over 23,000 trips per day are made by bus. With 13 different bus routes, there are 43 buses per hour during rush hour. By prioritizing transit, traffic congestion will beis reduced along these streets.
The right-most travel lane on each street will be converted to bus-only. The bus-only lanes will start on Market Street between 20th Streets and 15th Streets and on JFK Blvd between 15th and 19th Streets. Cars will be able to cross the bus lane to access parking at the curb and to take right turns. After the 18-month pilot, the project will be evaluated for its effects on roadway safety, transit speed and reliability, congestion, and public support.
Why is this project important?
- Transit is an affordable and energy efficient method of transportation.
- In Philadelphia, 42 percent of African American residents do not own a car and 50 percent of households in poverty do not have a car.
- High quality public transit is critical to ensuring all residents have access to opportunity.
- Trips on public transit emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions than trips by car.
- Improving transit is critical to addressing the climate crisis.
Market Street and JFK will remain open for traffic during construction, and protected bike lanes along the route should not be affected. Residents may see periodic closures of the right-most travel lane and parking lane. The project is expected to take one month to complete, pending weather changes.
Send questions or comments via email to otis@phila.gov.
