An Update From the Friends of Schuylkill River Park 

The construction of the Connector Bridge is running on schedule - actually slightly ahead of schedule - and due to strong fiscal management by the City and great work by the general contractor, Rockport, several improvements to The Park have been added to the project through discussion between the Friends of Schuylkill River Park and the City. We are pleased to report that the following items have been added:

• Re-paving and stripping of basketball courts
• Replacement of all trash receptacles including very old and outdated receptacles in the Markward Area
• Tree pruning and dead tree removal

As originally planned new benches will be added, landscaping will be planted (thousands of perennials and 30+ trees), an irrigation system will be installed, and all park lighting will be replaced. These planned items and the recent additions will make a huge difference in Schuylkill River Park. We thank the City tremendously for their efforts and their strong partnership with the Friends of Schuylkill River Park.

Soon after Labor Day the new dog run will open and the temporary dog run will close such that Rockport can re-grade “the bowl”. We will provide more information on the exact date as soon as we can but one dog run will always be available during this process.

Background

As a result of an agreement negotiated between the City of Philadelphia and CSX, crossing gates have been provided at the Locust Street and Race Street at-grade access points to Schuylkill Banks. These gates close when there is train traffic and open once the crossing points are clear.

To improve access when Locust Street at-grade crossing is closed, a pedestrian bridge will be built to span the railroad from Schuylkill Banks to Schuylkill River Park. The project included intensive community involvement in the design process. The bridge will be a 95’ long truncated arch truss structure with a 12’ wide pathway. There will be 10’ wide ADA accessible ramps on the approaches with a total of 3 overlooks. Architectural lighting and enhancements will be included in the contract.

This project will resolve the safety concerns of the City and CSX while providing convenient access to the Schuylkill Banks.

The Schuylkill River Parks Connector Bridge has received federal stimulus funding through the Transportation Improvements Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program and a Transportation Enhancement Grant. This project is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in fall 2012.

More information about this project is available at www.schuylkillbanks.org.