Philly Plain Dealer

If you are someone who is a frequent driver on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia, you might be aware of the proposed subway line extension. This subway line is to be located beneath the boulevard, with the hopes of reducing traffic and giving more opportunities for less surface-level transportation in Philadelphia. 

The Roosevelt Boulevard Subway’s mission is “To champion the construction of a subway line along Roosevelt Boulevard, providing a transformative solution to these pressing issues [traffic congestion, safety concerns, and limited accessibility].” This project wants to ensure that people have safe modes of transportation, whether they are traveling home from their office on a monday night, or they want to go out to enjoy the clubs. 

Jay Arzu is a key voice in the “resurrection” of this proposal. He has an extensive background in the development of transportation, and he was able to study legislation behind it as an intern. Arzu was also a Transportation Equity Research Fellow for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, where he researched the effects of transportation development and infrastructure on black and brown communities. 

Arzu calls himself “the connector.” His experiences with best practices in infrastructure development make him the perfect man for the job of spreading the word, all while uniting Philadelphia communities. Public engagement is his secret to success.

This Roosevelt Boulevard Subway proposal sets a precedent that goes far beyond transportation. The subway project represents accessibility,  but most importantly, listening to the needs of the people.  

Jay Arzu and his team have been listening to the voices of the people for the last four years, and the movement itself has been around for even longer. Now, it is PennDOT’s turn to listen. 

“I had an initial meeting with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), where they had all the community stakeholders. They were giving us the initial numbers… they were saying that the subway would cost $11 billion,” Arzu says. 

He further explains that after reviewing PennDOT’s study, and speaking with other professionals, PennDOT was actually comparing the Roosevelt Boulevard in Philly to a subway line in the upper east side of New York City. But, the upper east side of New York City is more urbanized, with more surrounding buildings. These main factors affect how expensive it was to construct. 

“We’re calling B.S. on the $11 billion. It’s not going to cost $11 billion,” says Arzu.

Arzu wants to give Philadelphians more opportunities for travel, hence the goal of “connecting” communities. However, he also wants to stress the less-obvious positive impacts of the subway’s construction. More jobs mean more economical development for the Philadelphia community. 

Your voice matters. If you live in Philadelphia, you have the opportunity to go to open houses to share your input, or to express questions or concerns about the Roosevelt Boulevard Subway. 

The open house conversations about the Roosevelt Blvd Subway Line begin on December 14th and go through January 7th.

Here is the link with all of the open house information: https://x.com/BlvdSubway/status/1861511885327090146