While PennDOT attached a hefty price tag to the Roosevelt Boulevard subway, none of the alternatives studied offered comparable ridership growth or congestion relief, writes Sandy Smith for Philadelphia Magazine.

Earlier this month, PennDOT, the city, and SEPTA unveiled draft reports detailing six potential redesigns for the Boulevard, highlighting their costs and benefits.

None of the options come cheap, with estimates ranging from $1.9 billion to $16.3 billion in 2024 dollars — though work on the selected option will not start until 2040.

The highest estimate is for the most extensive redesign, which involves placing the inner lanes of Roosevelt Boulevard in a covered freeway with a subway in the center, as well as extending the Market-Frankford Line up Bustleton Avenue to connect with the subway at Bustleton and the Boulevard.

According to the study published by PennDOT, the subway would reduce vehicle miles traveled by more than twice the amount projected for light rail and three-and-a-half to four times more than the most optimistic projections for BRT.

One key reason is that the subway is likely to attract more choice riders than any other option, and draw in an additional 5,100 to 17,400 new riders each weekday compared to LRT.

Read more about the Roosevelt Boulevard subway in Philadelphia Magazine.

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