An artist’s rendering of the proposed parking garage at 41st and Filbert (Images courtesy of ISA). 

A five-story parking garage is coming to 41st and Filbert (one block north of Market Street) as part of the life sciences and commercial office campus that has been built in the area over the past several years. A Civic Design Review hearing is scheduled for Sept. 2.

“5.0 University Place” will include 495 parking spaces with a special, secured section of 29 spaces reserved for vehicles connected to the new Philadelphia Police Department forensics lab, which will be housed nearby in 3.0 University Place at 41st and Market.

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Beginning Sunday, Aug. 24, SEPTA will discontinue several bus stops on 48th Street between Walnut St. and Baltimore Ave., the portion of the street used by the Routes 64 and 411. The following stops will be discontinued: Locust St., Pine St., Osage Ave., Hazel Ave., and Cedar Ave.

The reason for the stop elimination is traffic safety as part of the 48th Street Traffic Safety Project, according SEPTA. The construction stage began last year and included an installation of a parking-separated bike lane and traffic-calming measures.

SEPTA will also begin implementing service cuts throughout its transit network starting this Sunday due to a lack of state funding. Read more here about the service cuts in West Philadelphia.

UPDATE (8/25/25): SEPTA has released new Fall schedules for its Bus and Metro service which reflect 20 percent service cuts that took effect on Sunday, Aug. 24. Go here for more details.

8/21/25: As you may have heard, SEPTA has announced major service cuts that will take effect this Sunday, Aug. 24 due to a lack of state transit funding. The cuts will eliminate some bus routes or shorten them and reduce the frequency by up to 20 percent. Also, a reminder that fares will increase to $2.90 per ride beginning Sept. 1.

Here’s some useful information on SEPTA service reductions for routes serving West Philadelphia.

METRO

Service on the “L” (Market-Frankford Line) will be reduced by up to 20 percent. Peak intervals will go from 6 to 8 minutes. Midday intervals will go from 6 to 8 minutes.

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One of the busiest commercial corridors in West Philadelphia is finally getting much-needed traffic calming and other improvements. The 52nd Street Commercial Corridor Improvement Project, which will be conducted on the portion of the street between Arch and Pine, aims to make the corridor “safer, cleaner and greener” for all.

Traffic calming measures may include the construction of curb extensions, medians, and raised crosswalks. The project also includes improved curbside parking and loading to prevent illegal and double parking.

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The future site of the Philly Phlush public restroom in Clark Park, just east of the basketball court (Photo by West Phill Local).

So long Clark Park porta potties, bring on the Philly Phlush.

Construction is set to begin this week in Clark Park on the city’s latest “Philly Phlush” – the permanent public restroom – the Friends of Clark Park announced on Saturday.

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Here’s some information on the annual Spruce Street closures that help accommodate Penn students moving to campus after the summer break. This year, a portion of the street will be closed to all vehicles, including bicycles, on select days between Monday, Aug. 18 and Sunday, Aug. 23, for student move-in and some construction projects, according to the University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety. Here are more details:

August 18, 19, and 20:

• Spruce Street will be closed from 34th to 38th Street between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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