In case you missed it, 5th Street/Independence Hall Station reopened to customers on Monday, August 31, 2020.
The station had been closed since early April 2020 when SEPTA began operating our Lifeline Service during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Construction is still ongoing, and we anticipate the project being complete – and the station fully-reopened – later this year when we plan to hold a formal ribbon cutting.
Construction at the station was halted on March 20, 2020 when a state ban on construction activities was put in place. Crews were granted permission to perform emergency street-level waterproofing beginning in early April, but construction on the station itself did not resume until May 4, when non-emergency construction activities were allowed to resume. With the station closed, crews have completed work in passenger areas, so we could reopen the station for customers as soon as possible while minimizing the impact of continued construction on passenger flow.
The Station was made ADA compliant in the early 2000s with the installation of elevators but it had not been rehabilitated since 1974 when the station was renovated for the Bicentennial.
The goal of this project is to transform the station and street-level amenities into a transportation hub with modern amenities that is worthy of its location in the heart of one of nation’s most important historic districts.
Timeline
5th Street Station was formally renamed 5th Street / Independence Hall Station on June 30, 2016
SEPTA issued Notice to Proceed in November 2018 and broke ground in January 2019
Anticipated completion: December 2020
Highlights of the project scope include:
Mitigation of water infiltration that had been a longstanding problem at the station
Installation of new glass headhouses on the northwest and southwest stairs
New passenger platforms
New floor and wall tiles on the Mezzanine and the corridors connecting the platform to street level
New architectural treatments – including bluestone pavers historic to the surrounding area
New curb cuts and drainage lines
New LED lighting
New farelines and cashiers booths
New fire and security systems
General structural repairs
Between now and the anticipated ribbon cutting later this year, the following work remains to be completed:
Installation of aesthetic column covers
Completion of Northeast and Southeast stairs and corridors
Installation of new lighting
Installation of signage
Completion of cashiers booths
Installation of fire and security
Completion of back of house mechanical room renovations
The majority of work will take place at night.