The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, funded by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and in cooperation with the City of Philadelphia and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) recently completed The Broad Street Line Extension Feasibility Study that examined the engineering and economic feasibility of extending the Broad Street Subway line into The Navy Yard, a 1000-acre site managed by PIDC on behalf of the City of Philadelphia. 

The Navy Yard is home to more than 8,000 employees, 80+ companies, and three Navy units because of the site’s excellent highway and airport access and 3.5-mile proximity to Center City Philadelphia.  However, the Navy Yard is just outside of a half-mile walking distance to the Pattison Avenue Station, the terminus for the Broad Street Subway Line, which results in at least a two-seat ride to from Center City to the Navy Yard.

The purpose of extending the subway is to improve The Navy Yard’s connection to Center City and regional transit, enhance the development potential and vibrancy of the development at The Navy Yard, and provide congestion relief and an environmentally friendly transportation alternative for accessing the Navy Yard.

The study team identified three alternatives with those objectives in mind to further develop conceptual engineering, cost, and benefit evaluations.  The alternatives included the continued operation of the existing shuttle bus service, an enhanced higher frequency bus service synchronized to meet every subway train arrival, and the subsurface extension of the subway.  Light rail transit was not included in this study because the team identified several complications related to that technology that were outside the scope of this study.

The Broad Street Line Extension Feasibility Study confirms the feasibility of constructing the 1.5-mile subway extension into The Navy Yard with a station in the Corporate Center development currently under construction and one in a planned marina at the east end of the property at a cost of approximately $370 million (in 2008 dollars).  The study demonstrates a greatly enhanced development potential, substantial economic benefit for the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and strong rider demand for the service.  

The Broad Street Line Extension will leverage, catalyze, and greatly enhance the development potential of the entire Navy Yard, generating investment, employment, and tax ratables for the city and state.  The additional development around transit stations permitted by the subway extension represents more than $4.6 billion in economic impact from development and $390 million directly from constructing the subway to the City of Philadelphia.  This is equal to $1.7 billion more in economic impact, 8000 additional permanent jobs and 3750 more jobs from constructing the transit project than without constructing the subway.

In order to bring this project to fruition, the region’s leadership will work together to establish an aggressive implementation schedule to evaluate the funds and value capture mechanisms available and to define the potential applicability of a public-private partnership. The end result of this process will help The Navy Yard fulfill its full development potential, benefiting not only the immediate site but the region as a whole.

The Navy Yard has successfully transitioned from a military property to a growing center of mixed use development and employment for the region.  In its next phase, The Navy Yard can fulfill sustainable development principles for the region by building at the core, maximize the value of future and existing infrastructure investments, and catalyze transformative growth through an investment in transit.

The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), a private, not-for-profit corporation, was created in 1958 by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the Commerce Department of the City of Philadelphia to promote economic development and job creation throughout the City.  PIDC provides financing programs and real estate products to business and developer client groups in all neighborhoods of Philadelphia.

For further information on PIDC's role in The Navy Yard, contact Peter S. Longstreth, President, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, 2600 Centre Square West, 1500 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19102-2126, phone (215) 496-8181.