Penn students are moving in this week and as usual during this time of year, a portion of Spruce street will be closed to all traffic, including bicyclists. Penn Division of Public Safety has announced the following street closures:

• Tuesday, Aug. 21: Spruce Street will be closed from 34th to 38th Street, between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 22: Spruce Street will be closed from 34th to 38th Street, between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 25: Spruce Street will be closed from 38th to 40th Street, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

SEPTA buses will be rerouted during the days and hours.

The Streets Department has scheduled maintenance work on Cobbs Creek Parkway, which will result in its temporary closure from Wednesday, Aug. 8 through Thursday, Aug. 9.

Cobbs Creek Parkway, between 67th Street and Springfield Avenue/60th Street, will be closed to all traffic from 9 p.m. on Wednesday until 5 a.m. on Thursday. The following temporary restrictions are scheduled to be in effect:

Northbound traffic will be stopped at 67th Street. Vehicles can continue north using 67th Street to Chester Avenue, then 63rd Street to Woodland Avenue. Traffic that wishes to return to Cobbs Creek Parkway can do so at 58th Street. Southbound traffic will be stopped at Springfield Avenue. Vehicles can continue south using 60th Street and then turning right onto Woodland Avenue.

This closure is part of a larger project that will include multiple overnight closures over the course of August and early September. Advance notification will be provided for each separate closure.

The Citywide Street Resurfacing project continues in West Philadelphia with overnight street improvement work now being scheduled along 40th Street. The work will begin tonight at 7 p.m. and will include temporary street closures and parking restrictions in the area. The work is expected to be completed by late August, but weather or special events in the area may alter the work schedule, according to an announcement by the Streets Department.

The contractor, James J. Anderson Construction Co, Inc., will perform resurfacing on 40th Street from Girard Avenue to Market Street and from Walnut Street to Baltimore Avenue.  Continue Reading

This is a reminder that SEPTA will stop selling paper transfers beginning August 1st.

Paper transfers for travel on buses, subways and trolleys will stop being issued at the end of the service day on Tuesday, July 31. Starting August 1, to receive a qualifying $1 transfer, customers will need to use a SEPTA Key Card with Travel Wallet. Customers who are eligible for reduced fare travel will need to use a SEPTA Key Card with Travel Wallet to receive the half-fare $0.50 transfer.

This is the latest effort by SEPTA to encourage more customers to switch to the Key Card, which was launched in June 2016. The majority of SEPTA customers have already made the switch.

After eliminating token and magnetic stripe TransPass sales at SEPTA-operated locations in the spring, SEPTA will also end third-party retail sales of tokens and magnetic stripe passes by Aug. 1.

For more information about the SEPTA Key Fare program, visit: www.septakey.org.

The I-76 West ramp to 30th Street is closing for four weeks beginning this Saturday for repairs and resurfacing, according to PennDOT. The ramp will close at 12:01 a.m. on July 21 and is expected to reopen in mid-August.

During the ramp closure, motorists are advised to use an alternate exit at South Street and should expect delays.

The closure is part of the $103.6 million project to rehabilitate the Chestnut Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River and several nearby structures. The project is expected to be completed in Fall 2020.  Continue Reading

Trolley track repair work is underway near 40th and Woodland.

SEPTA’s annual Center City Trolley Tunnel maintenance project, aka Trolley Tunnel Blitz, began on Friday night. All trolleys going east will be on diversion to 40th and Market, where passengers can switch to the train, for the duration of the project (until July 23).

A portion of Woodland Avenue, between 39th and Chester, is also closed to all traffic due to this project, which includes track repair work near the trolley portal. Chester Avenue between 41st and Woodland is also closed.