Roosevelt Boulevard Subway

The route was first proposed in 1913 as part of the Broad Street Subway line from Adams Avenue.^[2]

Cost estimates ranged between $2.5 and $3.4 billion in year 2000 dollars. Largely dependent on if constructing all stations in open cuts, rather than strictly underground, was feasible. It was estimated to draw 124,523 daily boardings, approximately the current ridership of the Broad Street Line, and divert 83,300 daily automobile trips.^[3]

The project however did not move forward due to lack of local financing.^[4]

In a public meeting hosted by Pennsylvania Rep. Jared Solomon, representatives from PennDOT and the Philadelphia Office of Transportation and Infrastructure discussed the project, which has long been called for as a way to better connect Northeast Philadelphia to Center City and make one of the country's most dangerous roads safer.^[5]

Ashwin Patel, a senior manager at PennDOT, said at the meeting that the agency would study what is feasible — whether it be a subway, an elevated rail line or more dedicated bus routes. That exploration would be done as an expansion of the city-administered Route for Change program for Roosevelt Boulevard, released in spring 2021.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2023, the Philadelphia City Council announced it would hold hearings on the proposed subway following the collapse of an I-95 overpass that severely impacted highway travel in Northeast Philadelphia.^[6] The hearings, held on October 11, were attended by more than half a dozen state and city officials, transit experts, and residents, during which it was reported that PennDOT would include a subway in studies to evaluate transit alternatives on Roosevelt Boulevard.^[7][8]