SEPTA has started renovations to the Girard and Spring Garden stations on the Broad Street Subway – the transit agency’s largest project funded by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

SEPTA General Manager Joseph M. Casey was joined by U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, Philadelphia City Councilman Darrell Clarke and a host of other city, state and federal officials and other dignitaries at the Spring Garden Station to officially break ground on construction at a ceremony on Wednesday, August 12, 2009.

The $25 million project represents the first modernization for the Girard and Spring Garden stations since original construction in the late 1920s.

“This marks a new beginning for these stations,” Casey said. “These renovations will allow us to improve the service and amenities available to our customers.

“The project meets the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by creating jobs, and also contributes to the long-term economic development of the community.”

Over 200 jobs are being created by the Girard-Spring Garden project, including nearly 100 in construction, and more than 100 support positions with contractors and suppliers.

“This is essentially a blue print for how the federal stimulus dollars should work,” said Councilman Clarke, who represents the council district the stations serve.

Girard and Spring Garden are two of the busiest stations on the Broad Street Subway, and combined serve more than 10,000 riders each day. They are also among the original stops on the line, which began service in 1928, running from Olney Avenue to City Hall.

Rep. Fattah said the project exemplifies how initiatives funded through the ARRA are helping create jobs and stimulate the economy.

“These stations were built in the 1920s, and now it’s time for a rebirth,” Fattah said. “Philadelphia is where the nation started, and it’s the perfect place to start an economic turnaround.”

The revitalized stations will also play key roles as a number of exciting developments move forward on North Broad Street, such as the conversion of the State Office Building at Broad and Spring Garden streets into an apartment building with first-floor retail shops.

Improvements at the stations include new elevators, stairs, cashier lines, concrete restoration, column repairs and concrete restoration. There will also be new tiling and artwork, along with new power, lighting,signage and fire alarm systems. SEPTA will also install new systems for customer communications. The modernized facilities will be fully ADA compliant. Both stations will remain open during construction, with no disruption to customers or service on the Broad Street Line.

SEPTA is embarking on a total of 32 projects with $191 million in federal grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. These “shovel-ready” initiatives are supporting local jobs and helping stimulate economic development, while allowing SEPTA to address a number of long-needed infrastructure improvements.

For more information on the Girard and Spring Garden renovations, and other SEPTA projects funded by the ARRA, visit septa.org/business/stimulus. For more information on the ARRA, visit recovery.gov.