SEPTA awards contract to rebuild bus loop

SEPTA is moving forward with plans to rebuild the Cheltenham-Ogontz bus loop.

On Thursday, the SEPTA Board’s operations committee reviewed on a $2.5 million construction contract to Seravalli Inc. for work on the loop. It also reviewed a contract totaling about $850,000 to Nucero Electrical Construction Co. for electrical work at the site.

The loop, which serves about 3,400 riders every weekday, acts as the terminal for four different bus routes and as a transfer point for two additional routes.

The project is aimed at providing rider amenities at the site and will include landscaping and the installation of new passenger shelters.

The operations committee also reviewed minor changes to nine city and suburban bus routes, including altering Route 38 to serve the Please Touch Museum at its new West Philadelphia location.

The changes, which had been discussed in several public meetings, have already been enacted on a trial basis. If the SEPTA Board votes to approve these changes next week, it will make permanent alterations to the authority’s tariffs and discontinue several bus routes that were designed to serve schools that have been closed.

The committee also reviewed a labor contract with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents 52 railroad mechanics, car cleaners and millwrights.

Contact the reporter at acampisi@planphilly.com