The approval process for the Pencoyd Trail and Bridge is moving allow smoothly. On Monday night the Lower Merion Planning Commission gave O'Neill Properties approval for their Tentative Sketch recommendation. Next week O'Neill will appear before the Building and Planning Committee for tentative Sketch approval. 

Just to recap: O’Neill Properties plans to develop 569 apartments along the Schuylkill River in Lower Merion. As part of their deal with Lower Merion Township, O'Neill will refurbish the old railway bridge and extend the Pencoyd Trail along their property. The first phase of construction will include construction of an 8’ pedestrian outrigger on the Pencoyd Bridge from Philadelphia to Lower Merion, construction of a .75 mile long, 14’ wide multi-purpose trail along the waterfront, and construction of 2 large public gathering space/plazas at the base of the bridges at either end of the site. The western end of the site will include a 9,000 sq. ft landscaped plaza overlooking Venice island.

O'Neill will also contribute approximately $550,000 as the project is being built, money which will be used to build a connection between his property and the Cynwyd Trail through the Township-owned Connelly property.

This segment is an important connection to the Schuylkill River Trail. It will help facilitate a loop from the Pencoyd Bridge on Main Street (Manayunk) over to Lower Merion Township, up to the Cynwyd Trail, over the Manayunk Bridge and back to Main Street. Congratulations to Lower Merion Township for closing this important trail gap!

Middletown Township businesses get update on Rails to Trails project (DNN)

The Chester Creek Rails-to-Trails project is on track, with construction expected to begin before the end of the year. That was what Mike Fusco of Aston, president of Friends of Chester Creek Branch, told the Middletown Township Business and Professional Association when it met for lunch recently at the Riddle Ale House.

In his PowerPoint update, Fusco presented background information on the non-profit Friends group that was founded in 1997. Run by a volunteer board of directors, its mission is to convert the abandoned Chester Creek branch rail line through parts of Middletown and Aston into a trail. His efforts of more than two decades, and those of the Friends, finally were successful in 2012. That’s when Middletown Council unanimously approved, with some conditions, a land development plan for the project.
 

That was the necessary first step in a project to convert 2.8 miles of an unused SEPTA rail line, from Creek Road to Lenni Road, into a 10-foot-wide paved trail for walking, jogging and biking (no motorized use) for the community. Aston Council has approved the section traversing its township.

Fusco said it’s taken much longer than anticipated to get the trail underway, noting there are more than 250 pages of plans for the project. He said it’s being developed in three phases. Engineering studies have been completed for the first phase.

“We’re crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s on the final agreements for Phase One,” he said, adding that bids for construction of the initial phase are expected to go out soon and construction should begin later this year.

link to full story:

http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles/2013/04/16/media_town_talk/news/doc516d940681e13057104398.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Middletown OKs signal at Lungren Road (Delco Times)

The Rails-to-Trails project of the Friends of Chester Creek Branch continues to move along, with council’s unanimous approval of the Friends’ application to PennDOT for a pedestrian signal at Lungren Road.

Mike Fusco of Aston, president of the nonprofit Friends group, came before council with Louis Hufnagle of the county planning department to ask for the township’s support of the proposed traffic light.

“The Friends cannot take ownership of the light,” said Fusco. “It has to be a government entity.”

He noted there would be no electricity usage cost to the township, since the flashing light would have a solar-powered motion sensor. However, Middletown would be responsible for maintaining the light, just as with other crossing lights in the township.
 

link to full story:

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2013/05/16/news/doc51944d9f2b62e681454168.txt

Tredyffrin residents should be able to walk, jog or cycle their township’s section of the Chester Valley Trail as early as Labor Day.

Construction of Phase 2 of the trail will likely be finished this summer, three months ahead of the November construction deadline, according to Owen Prusack, Chester County Parks Superintendent.

Prusack presented a CVT update to more than 100 people at Wednesday night’s annual meeting of the Open Lands Conservancy of Chester County.

The paved trail is 65 percent finished, he said.

But the picture isn’t totally rosy.

The public will be able to hop on the trail at multiple points but only if they come on foot or bicycle. Those driving to the CVT won’t have it so easy.

“Access isn’t an issue; parking is,” admitted Prusack.

The local section of trail only has two dedicated parking lots – and neither is in Tredyffrin, one at the Warner Road Trailhead in King of Prussia and the other at the Church Farm Trailhead in Exton. (The County plans to double the parking capacity in Exton to 88 spaces by the end of 2013.)

While parks officials have had informal talks with Tredyffrin businesses adjacent to the trail along Swedesford Road, so far none have been willing to allow public trail parking on their lots, Prusack said. The Old Forge Crossing condominium complex has also been approached about providing direct access to the trail, but an agreement has not been reached, he said.

According to Prusack, parks department officials are also working with Tredyffrin Township on the parking issue. Both have decided to take a wait-and-see attitude in the hope that residents will lead the push for more convenient trail parking, he said.

A federal, county and local initiative, the Chester Valley Trail will extend from Exton to the Schuylkill River Trail, making it possible for cyclists to ride into Philadelphia from Tredyffrin and Great Valley. Chester County's portion of the trail roughly parallels Route 30 in its western section and Route 202 in the east. Plans call for the western section of the trail to link Exton to Downingtown.

Outdoor enthusiasts will have to wait a few more years for the CVT to connect to the Schuylkill River Trail however.

Montgomery Township officials are awaiting final engineering studies of the route before construction can begin. Current plans call for the township's section to stretch from S. Warner Road to DeKalb Street in Norristown by way of S. Gulph Road, Henderson Rd., Saulin Boulevard, and DeKalb Pike, said David Clifford, Open Space Planner for the Montgomery County Planning Commission.

"I expect construction to be finished in a year-and-a-half to two years. We're a little behind schedule because of all the dense development in Upper Merion Township, especially around the King of Prussia mall area," he said. With so many office parks clustered in Great Valley Tredyffrin and King of Prussia, both Chester and Montgomery counties expect commuters as well as recreational users to take advantage of the CVT.

A study is also underway to explore ways to link the CVT and the Paoli Train Station, said Molly Duffy, program manager for the Transportation Management Association of Chester County. Such a connection would encourage commuters to cycle or walk to work, thereby easing traffic congestion on Route 30 in Paoli from some 30,000 Great Valley and Vanguard employees, she said.

Chester County's portion of the trail is being built in four stages.

Phase 1 opened in 2010 and runs five miles from the Main Street at Exton shopping complex to the Uptown Worthington development on Route 29 in East Whiteland.

Currently under construction, Phase 2 will extend another seven-and-a-half miles from the Malvern Wegmans at Route 29 to the King of Prussia Wegmans near the Warner Road Trailhead.

Most but not all of the CVT was constructed over the former Chester Valley Railroad, abandoned since 1993.

Two of the trail’s pedestrian bridges in Tredyffrin have yet to be built: one at Valley Forge Road and the other at North Valley Road. Construction on both, which will involve road closures over a four-day weekend, will be scheduled between June 15 and July 31 when schools are closed, said Prusack.

The trail will be maintained and patrolled by Chester County park rangers on foot, on bicycle, and on tractor-like “gator” vehicles, also known as XUVs. The County’s emergency, maintenance and patrol vehicles have obtained permission to park at two sites adjacent to the trail: D’Ambrosio Park on Tory Hollow Road in Berwyn and Penn Medicine at Valley Forge near Chesterbrook.

The trail is open to country skiers, cyclists, in-line skaters and the handicapped operating battery-powered wheelchairs. Motorcycles, mopeds, skateboards, snowmobiles and motorized scooters are prohibited.

While the trail remains closed during construction and “No Trespassing” signs are clearly posted, several outdoor enthusiasts at the Open Lands Conservancy meeting admitted to already cycling, jogging and walking their dogs on completed portions.

Residents using the trail before it officially opens should be prepared for park rangers to stop them and “politely explain the situation,” Prusack said.

The public may be impatient to get on the trail, but the project has progressed relatively quickly, especially for an interagency government enterprise, Prusack told the Open Lands crowd. “When you think we took full ownership in 1996 and we will have constructed 12 miles of regional trails by the end of 2013, believe it or not, that’s the speed of light us,” he said.

the Rails-to-Trails project of the Friends of Chester Creek Branch continues to move along, with council’s unanimous approval of the Friends’ application to PennDOT for a pedestrian signal at Lungren Road.

Mike Fusco of Aston, president of the non-profit Friends group, came before council with Louis Hufnagle of the county Planning Department to ask for the township’s support of the proposed traffic light.

“The Friends cannot take ownership of the light,” said Fusco. “It has to be a government entity.”

He noted there would be no electricity usage cost to the township, since the flashing light would have a solar-powered motion sensor. However, Middletown would be responsible for maintaining the light, just as with other crossing lights in the township.

For more than 17 years, Fusco has pursued the possibility of converting 2.8 miles of an abandoned SEPTA rail line, from Creek Road to Lenni Road in Middletown, into a ten-foot-wide paved trail for public use. The trail will run through part of Aston, which has approved a plan for that portion of the trail.

In January 2012, Middletown Council approved, with some conditions, a land development plan for the project. Fusco had hoped it would get underway this spring, but securing permits has taken longer than anticipated. Council Member Norman Shropshire said that considering all the time that’s been donated to the project, he and his colleagues should do all they can to make the trail a reality.

“Thank you so much for your time and effort,” he said to Fusco, following the vote.

The Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail held the second annual 5K Run on Saturday and hundreds of runners turned out for the event on a damp cloudy morning.

Awards were given according to six different age groups, including 18 and under, and for the first male and female finishers. Money raised are going to upkeep and maintance of the trail.

Representatives of The Circuit will be attending the Manayunk Fit Fest and Walk The Wall all day on Saturday, June 1st. 

We will be represented at the Walk The Wall tent in the Levering Street Lot and would love for you and your family to stop by and  join us!

So what is Walk The Wall?  Challenge yourself to walk the course of the infamous Manayunk Wall that will be tackled by professional cyclists on Sunday, June 2nd during the Philadelphia Cycling Classic!  To participate, we ask each person to donate $15 to the BCGP or split your donation amongst the four benefitting Manayunk-Roxborough community organizations!

The event is graciously sponsored by Fairmount Behavioral Health System.

Sign up in advance to “walk The Wall” online here: http://business.manayunk.com/events/details/walk-the-wall-436

Visit Manayunk.com for more details on the event and we’ll see you June 1st!