SEPTA plans overhaul of Levittown Station

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

Elected officials joined Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) representatives to reveal reconstruction plans for Levittown Station. SEPTA says the project will enhance service for customers at a key station along the Trenton Regional Rail Line and represents one of many critical improvement projects under SEPTA's renewed "Catching Up" capital improvement program.

 

The Levittown Station Reconstruction Project is moving ahead thanks to state Act 89, the state’s new transportation funding bill, which was approved by the legislature and signed by Governor Tom Corbett last fall.

The 1950s era-Levittown Station will be transformed into a state-of-the-art intermodal transportation facility, adding modern amenities such as a new station building, high level platforms, pedestrian overpass and reconfigured Fallsington Avenue/Route 13 Expressway station entrance. The station will also be fully Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible and commuters will benefit from a parking increase of approximately 70 spaces.

“The renovation of Levittown Station is an important milestone for SEPTA as we move to address some of our most critical needs, including vital infrastructure upgrades and equipment replacement,” SEPTA Chairman Pasquale Deon said. “SEPTA is an economic engine for the region, and this work is essential to keep us moving forward.”

Nearly 11,000 riders use the Trenton Line each day and on an average weekday, approximately 1,264 trips begin or end at Levittown Station. Demand on all Regional Rail lines continues to grow. Last year, Regional Rail ridership reached a record 36 million trips and has increased by 50 percent over the past 15 years.

SEPTA plans to award contracts for more than $100 million in new capital projects in 2014 alone, including a number of improvements that have been deferred in recent years due to funding constraints. The pace of this work will increase as more funding comes in from Act 89. Within five years, SEPTA projects its annual capital budget to exceed $600 million – or more than double the $300 million annual amount SEPTA has had available for improvements in each of the past four years.

Tags: