A post to the UrbanPHL Facebook Group lamented why Roosevelt Boulevard couldn’t have a green grassed median with modern light rail running down the middle.

That reminded me of a 1914 illustration I came across awhile back.

Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger

The sketch above is reproduced from the drawings made by the engineers of Department of City Transit. It shows the type of structure which will be constructed along the Northeast Boulevard after the transit plans are adopted. – Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger

Yes

Yes, even as far back as 1914, planners dreamed of having rapid transit on Northeast Boulevard (now Roosevelt Boulevard).