South Philadelphia : Development News

Between the large freighter ships docked all around it and the big box stores and other commercial complexes that dot the corners of Columbus and Washington, Pier 53 is the last place you would expect to find a park. But that is exactly why the Central Delaware Master Plan calls for the creation of greenspace at the long-vacant pier, hoping to bring a park to nearby property owners and spur development on nearby parcels. This week, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation cut the ribbon on Washington Avenue Green, bringing a little country to this concrete jungle.

"This location was cited for ecological restoration and the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation owned the land already so we could do a project easily here," says DRWC's Master Planning Manager Sarah Thorp. "Whereas the rest of that area, all the way down to WalMart is under private ownership."

The new park features a bike path connected with the new Delaware River Trail, native plantings and woodland areas to prevent stormwater runoff and a public art project designed to mirror historic stream maps. Artist Stacy Levy recreated the stream map using plants, creating the appearance of the Delaware River coming ashore and turning from water to plants, creating a perfect representation for this new park.

"Over time, these areas that have paving and asphalt, nature takes over and weeds grow in between and the concrete starts to deteriorate," says Thorp of the public art project. "So we deliberately drilled holes for the plants to grow through. We really wanted to use all the materials instead of sending them to a landfill so the concrete we cut out became benches and pavers on the site."

Source: Sarah Thorp, DRWC
Writer: John Steele

Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey announced last Tuesday that Pennsylvania would receive $47 million in federal transit and infrastructure grants as part of the Federal Transit Administration's State of Good Repair program. As SEPTA updated its hybrid bus fleet two years ago, the lion's share of the funding went to Pittsburgh's Allegheny County Port Authority for a clean diesel fleet of their own. But SEPTA didn't come away empty handed, receiving $8.1 million for two infrastructure improvements a long time coming.

The first grant will revamp SEPTA's Parkside Bus Loop, helping reconnect this West Philly neighborhood. But the second, more universal improvement will aid in future upgrades. Using $6.4 million, SEPTA will install an asset management system to aid in record-keeping as many of Philadelphia's transit assets come up for repairs.

"A lot of our infrastructure dates back to the early 1900's and were taken over from other private companies," says SEPTA CFO Richard Burnfield. "What the FTA was trying to focus on is knowing what you have out there in the field before you can make an assessment as to what your overall needs are, coming up with a plan for when things should be replaced."

The system will help SEPTA keep better records so when funding is available, the authority can make a more organized, more compelling case for further federal dollars as the fleet is upgraded.

"Right now, we do a very good job of managing our assets so while the records are not as computerized as we'd like them to be, we have so much knowledge within our engineering staff that I feel we make excellent decisions," says Burnfield. "But I think this will help us going forward so we can do a second check on things as our staff reaches retirement."

Source: Richard Burnfield, SEPTA
Writer: John Steele

In science fiction novels and books about the future, a few technologies are boilerplate: flying cars, meals in pill form and the ability to teleport instantly from place to place. National commuter rail company Amtrak took another step toward teleportation on Tuesday with its announcement of a high-speed rail vision plan. In Tuesday's news conference from University City's 30th Street Station, with Governor Ed Rendell on hand, Amtrak officials laid out their goal to create a line with average speeds well over 130 mph, saving passengers between one and two hours on average.

"Amtrak is putting forward a bold vision of a realistic and attainable future that can revolutionize transportation, travel patterns and economic development in the Northeast for generations," says Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman.

The plan, entitled A Vision for High-Speed Rail in the Northeast Corridor, proposes a full build-out to be completed by 2040. Its construction, Amtrak says, would create more than 40,000 full-time jobs annually over a 25-year period, building new track, tunnels, bridges, stations, and other infrastructure. Predictably, the cost for such a project is high, $4.7 billion annually over 25 years. But Amtrak's feasibility studies peg the Northeast as a "mega-region" capable of drawing the type of rail traffic to make such an investment profitable. And with some premier legislative voices like New Jersey's Frank Lautenberg and Massachusetts' John Kerry already voicing their support, we may be teleporting out of 30th Street Station sooner than we think.

"Amtrak's High Speed Rail plan will create jobs, cut pollution and help us move towards a modern and reliable transportation system network in the Northeast," said Kerry in a recent statement. "As countries around the world continue to build out their transportation systems, we
cannot afford to fall further behind. This is an important down payment on the massive commitment necessary to bridge our infrastructure gap." 

Source: Joseph Boardman, Amtrak
Writer: John Steele