Getting to Green: Route 66
August 13, 2024
SEPTA partnered with Mural Arts and Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) on Getting to Green: Routes to Roots - a multidisciplinary public art project aimed at inspiring Philadelphia residents to use public transportation [aka SEPTA] to explore the city’s green spaces. Through unique artwork including hand-drawn maps - riders are encouraged to discover new pathways and routes.
You might be surprised by how quickly you can travel from urban areas to green spaces on SEPTA.
Route 66 is a trackless trolley route in Northeast Philadelphia. It connects the Market–Frankford Line [L] at Frankford Transit Center to Wissinoming, Mayfair, Holmesburg, and Torresdale along Frankford Avenue ending at City Line Loop. Trackless trolleys differ from regular trolleys in that they do not operate on a track. Instead - they are powered by overhead wires using trolley poles affixed to SEPTA buses. These distinctive vehicles can often be seen waiting to embark on their route with their trolley poles extending from the roof.
SEPTA operates two other trackless trolley routes the 59 and 75. Route 66 carries 4,876 passengers on an average weekday - covering a distance of 7 miles during 308 trips and making an average of 161 trips on the weekends. Route 66 is operational round the clock - operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Notable destinations served by Route 66 include Holy Family University, Father Judge High School, and Pennypack Park.
Pennypack Park [named after the Lenni Lenape Indian word for slow-moving water] winds its way nine miles following the gentle flow of Pennypack Creek from Montgomery County to the Delaware River. It encompasses over 1,600 acres of woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and fields. The park's diverse landscape features rolling hills, expansive meadows, and a network of paved and unpaved trails ideal for hiking, biking, running, and horseback riding. Home to over 150 bird species including hummingbirds, herons, warblers, woodpeckers, seabirds, ducks, and owls - it also hosts a diverse mammal population with deer, bats, foxes, rabbits, and others. Additionally the park is home to various reptile species like snakes, turtles, frogs, toads, and salamanders.
Pennypack Park is host to numerous historic structures including the oldest stone bridge still in use in the United States – the King's Highway Bridge. The park is also home to the chartered Pennepack Baptist Church from 1688 and The Verree House which was the site of a British raid during the American Revolutionary War. Visitors can also explore abandoned railroad grades, remnants of early mills, and other historical landmarks.
Click here to plan your trip to Pennypack Park at Welsh Rd. & Frankford Ave.
And don't forget - you can bring your bike on the bus to explore and enjoy even more!
Now that you know the WAY TO GO - here are the WAYS TO PAY:
Bus fare is $2.50 cash [exact change required] or $2 if you have a SEPTA Key card with Travel Wallet or have one of these passes loaded to your SEPTA Key card: Monthly or Weekly TransPass or TrailPass, Convenience Pass, Neighborhood Flex Pass, or Anywhere FleX Pass.
No SEPTA Key card? No problem! Tap your contactless credit card, debit card, smart phone or watch to ride SEPTA buses, subways, and trolleys. Or check out SEPTA Key Tix - the new and convenient way to pay for transit using your smartphone!
And don't forget - Kids under 12 ride free when accompanied by an adult and Seniors 65+ ride free with a SEPTA Key Senior Fare Card!
Getting to Green: Routes to Roots is a collaboration between two local Philadelphia artists. Shira Walinsky has created over 40 murals in Philadelphia focusing on people and maps. Laura Deutch uses media and participatory art to explore connections between people, places, and their stories
