Committee supports city acquisition of easement at Southampton Road and Roosevelt Boulevard for traffic improvements

Philadelphia City Council’s Committee on Public Property and Public Works voted to report an ordinance authorizing the city to accept a perpetual right-of-way easement from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for land at the intersection of Southampton Road and Roosevelt Boulevard inside Benjamin Rush State Park.

Richard Montanez, deputy commissioner of transportation for the Department of Streets, testified that the easement area is approximately 14,318 square feet and that the city would acquire the right-of-way for $1. Montanez said the easement will allow the city to build traffic-safety improvements tied to a large-scale adjacent development; the planned improvements include what he described as “English-style lefts,” a redesign that widens Southampton Road on both sides of Roosevelt Boulevard to remove conflicting left-turn movements. Montanez said developer dollars will fund the work.

Montanez said the project was identified in a prior Roosevelt Boulevard planning study funded under a TIGER grant and was listed as an early-action project for 2025. He told the committee that initial community outreach on Roosevelt Boulevard occurred more than a decade ago and that the Department of Streets plans to return to the neighboring community with updated outreach materials.

The Department of Streets and the Department of Public Property told the committee they support the ordinance and asked the committee to report it favorably and to suspend the rules to permit first reading at the next City Council session. Committee members voted to report the bill favorably by voice vote.

Next steps include finalizing the agreement with the Commonwealth and scheduling the ordinance for first reading before full City Council. The ordinance authorizes the city to construct and maintain the traffic improvements inside the acquired easement.