PHILADELPHIA – Streets Commissioner Kristin Del Rossi announced that SEPTA will be performing trolley track construction activities at the Island & Elmwood Avenue intersection, starting on May 4th in conjunction with the city’s Island Avenue Improvement Project. Construction activities will require the full closure of the Island & Elmwood Avenue intersection. The intersection closure is expected to last up to two weeks.

Detour signs will be posted to direct travelers around the closure, as follows:

· Island Avenue Detour: Traffic will be redirected from Island Avenue, using Buist Avenue to 65th Street to Woodland Avenue and then back to Island Avenue.

· Elmwood Avenue Detour: Traffic will be redirected from Elmwood Avenue, using 75th Street to Buist Avenue to 65th Street and then back to Elmwood Avenue.

Motorists should allow for additional travel time while traveling the area and along the detour routes.

SEPTA’s work supports their Trolley Modernization — SEPTA’s program to transform the nation’s largest trolley network into an accessible, fast, and easy-to-use system. Trolley Modernization features new, accessible vehicles that hold more passengers; new on-street stations that are fully accessible; and infrastructure and operational improvements to make service faster and more reliable. The Island Avenue Improvement Project includes the construction of new stations at Lindbergh Boulevard and Tanager Street.

Overall, the City’s Island Avenue Improvement Project will include: traffic signal improvements, roadway resurfacing and line striping, addition of grass medians and bicycle lanes, ADA improvements, reconstruction of trolley platforms, intersection upgrades, and other miscellaneous construction. This work is being performed to improve motorist, bicyclist and pedestrian safety along the corridor.

The Streets Department thanks citizens for their efforts, patience, cooperation and involvement during the design phase and the construction phase of this project.