SEPTA wraps up accessibility improvements at 40th Street subway station

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) yesterday marked the completion of Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accessibility improvements at its 40th Street subway station in Philadelphia.

The agency has installed two new elevators that provide direct access from the street to the subway level. The $9.23 million improvement project also included upgrading doors, gates and employee facilities.

Workers also installed new station and pedestrian way-finding signage, completed structural and concrete repairs, and built new stair and elevator headhouses.

Each day, nearly 7,000 riders use the 40th Street Station, which is located on SEPTA's Market-Frankford subway line. The station also connects to two bus routes.

"With the new elevators in place, we can now provide full ADA accessibility for all riders at this critical transit hub," said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey Knueppel in a press release.

The station improvements received funding through Act 89, Pennsylvania's transportation funding law that was passed in 2013. Using Act 89 funds, SEPTA has kicked off efforts across the region to bring its system into a state of good repair.