SEPTA To Alter Service On Bus Route 23 In Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill Due To PennDOT Construction

January 16, 2008

PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTA will alter service on bus Route 23 beginning on or about Monday, January 21 due to an extensive Pennsylvania Department of Transportation street and utility construction project currently underway.

The first phase of the project, scheduled from January 2008 through the Fall of 2008 on Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy, will require SEPTA to implement detours and modify bus stops on Route 23.

When PennDot construction in Mount Airy closes Germantown Avenue on or about January 21st, SEPTA must detour Route 23 service from its regular routing. The detour will use Mount Airy, Stenton, and Willow Grove Avenues in both directions. In addition, due to the construction some buses will also be turned north-to-south at SEPTA’s Germantown Transportation District (Germantown Avenue & Westview Street). For riders continuing to Chestnut Hill, supplemental shuttle bus service will be provided using the same detour route. Transfers between shuttle buses and regular Route 23 buses will take place at the Germantown District.

Effective Monday February 11th, as part of a regular SEPTA City Transit Division schedule change, most Route 23 weekday trips from South Philadelphia will terminate at Germantown District.Shuttle bus service, scheduled to operate between Germantown District and Bethlehem Loop in Chestnut Hill, from 5 a.m. until 8 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, will provide service every 15 to 20 minutes during morning and afternoon peak hours (6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.), with service every 30 minutes during off-peak hours. Weekdays between 8pm and 5am, and on weekends, Route 23 service will operate through to Chestnut Hill following the detour routing. Next month, consult the new, February 11, 2007 timetable or SEPTA web site (www.septa.org) for complete information.

The following Route 23 transit stops located within the work zone will be temporarily discontinued because of the PennDot construction project in Mount Airy:

Northbound stops along Germantown Avenue to Bethlehem Pike:
Allens Lane
Gowen Avenue
McPherson Street
Roumfort Road
Cresheim Valley Drive
Mermaid Lane
Moreland Avenue
Springfield Avenue
Willow Grove Avenue

Southbound stops along Germantown Avenue en route to Broad Street & Oregon Avenue:
Springfield Road
Moreland Avenue
Mermaid Lane
Cresheim Valley Drive
Roumfort Road
Renaissance School (near Gowen Avenue)
Gowen Avenue
Allens Lane

New temporary Route 23 stops will be placed at the following locations:

Northbound stops to Bethlehem Pike:

Mount Airy Avenue at:
Chew Avenue
Ardleigh Street
Stenton Avenue

Stenton Avenue at:
Wadsworth Avenue
Gowen Avenue
Roumfort Road
Woodbrook Lane
Mermaid Lane

Willow Grove Avenue at:
Stenton Avenue
Crittenden Street
Wyndmoor Avenue
Winston Road
Germantown Avenue

Southbound stops to South Philadelphia:

Willow Grove Avenue at:
Winston Road
Wyndmoor Avenue
Crittenden Street
Stenton Avenue

Stenton Avenue at:
Mermaid Lane
Woodbrook Lane
Roumfort Road
Gowen Road
Wadsworth Avenue
Mount Airy Avenue

Mount Airy Avenue at:
Ardleigh Street
Chew and Germantown Avenues

For additional information, call SEPTA Customer Service at (215) 580-7800.