'It's wonderful to see improvement': Tioga sees major, long-overdue upgrades across neighborhood

TIOGA - Philadelphia broke ground on major improvements in Tioga Thursday, as the iconic intersection of Broad, Germantown Avenue and Erie is finally getting its due to improve quality of life and traffic.

"There will be improvements you can see, like new bud shelters, street trees and cross walks," Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney explained. "There will be improvements you cannot see, like long-overdue upgrades to our underground facilities."

The mayor, along with councilmembers and community leaders broke ground Thursday on a slew of improvements for the area.

Resident Linda Dickerson said, "It’s wonderful to see this improvement because we need it. We need this improvement!"

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The BGE (Broad Germantown Erie) Project has taken more than seven years to come to life.

Michael Carroll is the Deputy Managing Director with the Philadelphia Office of Transportation and Infrastructure and says vital safety improvements are also on the way. "Improving the intersection so the crossings are shorter. We’re going to put in traffic-calming measures to slow traffic down, specifically on Germantown Avenue."

Three elevators are being added to the area to access public transit and renovations to Erie Station itself.

"We got a ton of improvements. We got lighting. There’s going to be improvements, in terms of security cameras and an AV system, a PA system. That interior of that station is going to shine," Carroll continued.

Cosmetic work should be done by November with infrastructure work taking longer. 8th District Councilmember and Northeast Philadelphia native Cindy Bass is ecstatic to see the project become reality in her district, but she wants more. "It should happen more! This should be happening on the regular! I think we have more than enough money in the City of Philadelphia budget to make these kinds of improvements happen."