Design underway for Manayunk bridge trail

A walking and bicycling trail across the Manayunk bridge is one step closer to reality as the design phase begins. A consulting team led by Whitman, Requardt & Associates of Wilmington has been selected to prepare plans for the trail. Design must be complete by fall 2012 to meet the terms of the $1.3 million grant PennDOT announced in January for construction.

“This is a landmark project with the potential to be the crown jewel in Philadelphia’s trail network,” said Jeff Riegner, leader of the WR&A design team. The trail will connect Lower Merion Township’s Cynwyd Heritage Trail, currently under construction, with the site of a former SEPTA station at Dupont and High Streets in Manayunk. Future phases will extend the trail to the Ivy Ridge Station and beyond, eventually connecting to the Schuylkill River Trail at Shawmont Avenue.

Kay Sykora, director of the Schuylkill Project, notes the collaborative nature of the project, “Ultimately the trail will be made a reality because of everyone sharing the same vision and working together, from local government to non-profits.” Project partners include Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Philadelphia Streets Department, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Manayunk Development Corporation, Lower Merion Township, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, and SEPTA. Partial funding for the final design of the bridge has been provided by the William Penn Foundation. Following the design phase, a feasibility study will be conducted with funding from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

SEPTA has owned the Manayunk bridge for more than 30 years, and will work with another entity to operate and maintain the trail while maintaining ownership of the bridge. Despite the need to finish the design quickly, the public will be actively engaged in shaping the look and feel of the trail. “We will meet with community groups and the public this spring and summer to get their ideas, share alternatives, and collaboratively develop the design,” said Riegner. Safety and security will be critical issues. “When designed well, trails can be great community assets,” he said.

Chris Leswing, assistant director for building and planning for Lower Merion, notes that the design process will take into account the trail itself and its connections, as well as the surrounding landscape, including features such as lighting. "It's a trail through a park, and the park part is equally important to us," he said.

Whitman, Requardt & Associates provides engineering and planning services to government agencies and other public-sector clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. The firm has recently completed trail projects in Wilmington and Paoli and is currently working on a transportation study along Philadelphia’s Delaware Avenue/Columbus Boulevard corridor. Other members of the design team include national trail planning firm Alta/Greenways, A.D. Marble & Company of Conshohocken, Interface Studio of Center City, and Ritter & Plante Associates of Manayunk.

Pictured above, a shot of the signature Manayunk Bridge from 1964, when it was still an active rail line.