Cross-County and River Trail Connections are a Step Closer

Long dreamed about and now closer to reality is the conversion of the trademark Manayunk Bridge and an adjoining defunct rail line into trails. The Schuylkill Project recently received a commitment of $100,000 in Planning Grants to create a Feasiblity Plan for this project. The plan will look at a trail connection from Lower Merion Township across the Schuylkill (Manayunk) Bridge and along the old R6 line to the Ivy Ridge Train Station. The grants are $50,000 from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and $50,000 from the William Penn Foundation.

The intent of this project is to create a new trail that will provide a crucial link between the Cynwyd Heritage Trail in Lower Merion, The Fairmount Bikeway/Manayunk Towpath that is part of the Schuylkill River Trail, and Umbria Street, a street favored by road bicyclists who travel through Manayunk on Main Street to reach the paved section of the Schuylkill River Trail at Port Royal Avenue. When complete, this new trail connection will provide bicyclists and pedestrians with a paved, off-road trail between Philadelphia, Lower Merion Township and Montgomery County. It will also serve as the first bicycle/pedestrian river crossing on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.

Increasingly, rails to trails projects are being embraced by communities as a way of enhancing quality of life. Our part of the city has a wealth of established trails and scenic parks making it a great place to live and visit. A connection across the river to our friends in Lower Merion, who are hard at work on the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, and to trails upriver will certainly complement our recreational options.

The grant award is due in large part to the cooperative efforts of the Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition, Philadelphia City and Montgomery County agencies, Lower Merion Township, and SEPTA, working with the Schuylkill Project.