A federal grant will fund two extensions of the Schuylkill River Trail, connecting the 16.8-mile path from Manayunk to Passyunk Avenue.
The Department of Streets and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation were awarded $13.7 million through the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program, the city of Philadelphia announced Friday. Those funds will go toward constructing the Wissahickon Gateway Trail in Manayunk and the Passyunk Connection in Kingsessing and Elmwood Park in Southwest Philly.
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The Wissahickon Gateway Trail will be 2,000 feet of multi-use trail starting at Lock and Main streets in Manayunk and connecting to Ridge Avenue before it picks up on Kelly Drive. It will offer a new option for cyclists and pedestrians who currently have to use a shoulder and sidewalk along one of the Vision Zero High Injury Network streets, the 12% of roads where 80% of traffic deaths and serious injuries take place.
The Passyunk Connection will stretch for 4,500 feet between 56th Street at the edge of Bartram's Garden to West Passyunk Avenue near 63rd Street, connecting to multiple neighborhoods and commercial corridors. Two large projects are under construction on either side of that area: the Lower Schuylkill Biotech Campus and the Bellwether District.
The 16.8 miles of the Schuylkill River Trail within Philadelphia have a few different incomplete sections. In addition to these two upcoming expansions, a segment connecting it to the Grays Ferry Crescent Trail and Park is also nearing completion.
When these projects are done, the trail will connect for 39 miles between Pottstown in Montgomery County and Southwest Philadelphia. The Schuylkill River Trail is also part of the Circuit Trails, a 400-mile network around the greater Philadelphia region.
“By closing critical gaps like the Wissahickon Gateway Trail and Passyunk Connection, we’re creating safe, accessible pathways that connect people to jobs, housing, green spaces, and transit, as well as solving a long-standing disconnect in our region’s important commuter and recreational trail, the Schuylkill River Trail," Patrick Starr, chair of the Circuit Trails, said in a statement. "This milestone is a powerful step forward for a safer, more connected and vibrant Philadelphia region.”