Repaved Torresdale Ave.
becomes a street of dreams

By Elizabeth Stieber
Times Staff Writer

Bustling with cars, buses and even a few bicycles, the newly resurfaced Torresdale Avenue got its official grand re-opening last Thursday.
Local elected officials led the unveiling of the refurbished avenue, which was resurfaced to cover the unused SEPTA trolley tracks.
"We promised to make this a premier highway in Philadelphia," said state Rep. Mike McGeehan (D-173rd dist.). "We’re here to officially say the job is done. We’re officially opening Torresdale Avenue — the new Torresdale Avenue."
Work crews completed the $900,000 repaving project, funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, on Aug. 13.
The 5.8-mile stretch of Torresdale Avenue, from Linden Avenue to Frankford Avenue, took about six weeks to complete.
Initially, PennDOT was not going to start the resurfacing project until the fall, but McGeehan and state Sen. Mike Stack (D-5th dist.) pushed for an earlier date.
Chris Creelman, legislative aide to City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-6th dist.), thanked SEPTA for removing the overhead wires that were used for the old Route 56 trolleys. Poles that connected the wires should be down next month, Creelman added.
The repaving coincides with McGeehan’s drive to revitalize his district through the Major Artery Revitalization Committee (MARC), a non-profit organization created to help residents in his district clean and beautify their neighborhoods.
Among MARC’s top priorities are improving such state roads as Torresdale Avenue, Frankford Avenue, Harbison Avenue and Tacony Street, and gateways into the community.
So far, the committee has completed a number of beautification projects along Torresdale Avenue, including painting murals on trestles, placing flower boxes along the avenue and hanging banners to represent the Holmesburg, Mayfair, Tacony and Wissinoming neighborhoods that are along the avenue in McGeehan’s district.
At the avenue’s unveiling, the politicians also announced the second wave of MARC projects, dubbed the Torresdale Avenue Project (TAP).
Through TAP, Torresdale Avenue and the surrounding streets will be cleaned by two street sweepers. The small vehicles can easily ride along the streets’ edges and suck up litter and debris while spraying the street clean with water.
Krajewski’s Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP) is working hand in hand with MARC by providing two more street sweepers to the Torresdale Avenue Project.
The sweepers will be in communities once a week. To make the schedule easy to remember, the sweepers will be devoted to Mayfair on Mondays, Tacony on Tuesdays, Wissinoming on Wednesdays and Holmesburg on Thursdays, "because no day begins with an H," McGeehan joked.
The legislators hope residents of those communities will participate by keeping their cars off the main streets on cleaning days.
To get community input, the Tacony Citizens Alliance was created to help spread the word about MARC and assist the group in its future endeavors.
Residents of the four communities can call the Tacony Citizens Alliance at 215-331-5770 if they have questions or ideas.
"We know how much the elected officials have done to better our community and answer the needs of the people they represent," said Tacony Citizens Alliance member Rose DeGatis. "The improvement on Torresdale Avenue alone speaks of the dedication and the joint effort of these people." ••
Residents and businesses can contact the Major Artery Revitalization Committee, 215-332-MARC, or visit www.marc-cleansweep.com
Reporter Elizabeth Stieber can be reached at 215-354-3036 or estieber@phillynews.com