What I wish for in 2024: The Roosevelt Boulevard subway

Growing up in Frankford, it often felt like my family lived on the border of two entirely different cities: Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, of course, was the home of most of the region’s history and culture. The Northeast was not. Movies and TV shows were occasionally set in our fair city, but they rarely ventured up Roosevelt Boulevard. Most city residents didn’t, either, unless they had work or family in the area. Getting to the Northeast is a hike. The El stops in Frankford, leaving people the choice of long, windy bus rides or congested I-95 to get there.

There was also a stark racial divide. For a long time, Northeast Philadelphia has been very, very white; after the election of W. Wilson Goode Sr., the city’s first Black mayor, some residents went as far as proposing they secede from the city and form “Liberty County.”

Today, the Northeast is different. Its neighborhoods have become a home for many new Americans, who have created vibrant commercial corridors and fantastic restaurants in a region once ruled by chain restaurants and diners.

But getting there is still a hike.

Thankfully, that all could change. Thanks to the advocacy of University of Pennsylvania doctoral student Jay Arzu and others, people are once again considering a proposal that was first floated in 1913: a subway line along Roosevelt Boulevard.

I realize a subway line may not seem as consequential a thing to wish for as an end to international wars or bridging the political divide at home. But for Philadelphia, a Roosevelt Boulevard subway line would be transformational.

One 2003 study estimated the subway line would bring more than 120,000 riders every day, and take tens of thousands of cars off the road. Most people going from Center City to the Northeast — perhaps to China Gourmet, which bills itself as the largest Chinese restaurant in the city — would see their trip cut in half. And just think about all the construction jobs, and the other economic growth, that would be spurred by this high-speed transit.

This subway line would provide a significant boost to Northeast Philadelphia communities while knitting them and the rest of the city together.

When regional planners initially dismissed the subway option for Northeast Philadelphia 10 years ago, they called it a “Cadillac option.” Instead, residents were told to settle for a cheaper option, like bus rapid transit. But a subway isn’t a fancier form of transportation — it is a faster, more efficient one. Northeast residents shouldn’t have to settle for less.

Thankfully, elected leaders have started to join the movement, as well, and are now meeting with advocates and transportation officials to try to get the Roosevelt Boulevard subway going. My hope is that next year, that momentum continues, and Philadelphia finally gets the transit line we need to stitch the city together.