South St. Bridge update
Dear Neighbors and Friends of the South Street Bridge:
Good news regarding public transportation issues related to the South Street Bridge detour! Beginning Monday, December 8, SEPTA will add two weekday morning trips to the Route 12 bus destined for University City. The trips have been scheduled to accommodate persons who need to arrive in University City by 7:00 AM and before 8:00 AM.
These two added trips will start at 23rd & Chestnut and operate on existing routing westbound via Grays Ferry to University City. The first added trip departs 23rd & Spruce at 6:33 AM and the second at 7:08 AM and should be marked for University City. Like the three later buses, these will follow the peak hour routing to and around University City. They will loop through West Philadelphia near HUP, CHOP, along Spruce Street between 33rd & 38th, and down by the VA Hospital.
The complete schedule and map of the route are posted on the SEPTA website (the two new trips will be posted shortly): http://www.septa.org/service/sched/pdfs/bus_1_40/012.pdf
The five westbound buses leave at 6:33, 7:08, 7:53, 8:23 and 8:53 AM from 23rd & Spruce. Add no more than a couple minutes for South Street or Grays Ferry near Naval Square.
Eastbound 12 bus service in the evening starts at University Avenue and Civic Center Blvd at 4:29, 4:59, 5:29 & 5:59 and arrives at CHOP and HUP shortly after these times. In other words, these times are before the West Philadelphia loop. If someone can help us and SEPTA with some time points along the route, we’ll share the information with everyone.
These additional busses have been added on an experimental basis, and will continue only if there is ridership. They give us a route that goes to West Philadelphia without a transfer, and that avoids the likely crowds at Walnut Street.
We appreciate SEPTA’s responsiveness to the needs of our community and believe that this additional service will provide most of you a reasonable way to get to work. When detour patterns have settled in after a few weeks, please let us know how this service is working out for you.
Thank you for your continued interest in the future of the South Street Bridge.
Best regards,
Jim Campbell Marcia V. Wilkof
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.
Brought to you by PlanPhilly
PlanPhilly
In-depth, original reporting on housing, transportation, and development.