$2.5 million grant will help extend Schuylkill River Trail from Bartram’s Garden to South Philly

A $2.5 million Pennsylvania economic development grant will be used to connect South and Southwest Philadelphia via the Passyunk Avenue Bridge to the Schuylkill River Trail — and create a new route for bicylists and pedestrians to Bartram’s Garden and University City, officials announced Tuesday.

Joseph Syrnick, president of the Schuylkill River Development Corp. (SRDC), said the city still needs to acquire rights-of-way from some businesses and needs a final design for the paved path that will run from the bridge to 61st Street. As a result, the SRDC will likely not seek bids for the project for about a year.

However, the new connection will give South Philadelphians eager to commute by bike direct access to the west side of the river that includes Bartram’s Garden, St. Joseph’s University, Penn, Drexel, and University City. To do that, they’ll still have to cross the busy Passyunk Avenue Bridge, which has a narrow bike lane. But the rest of the commute will be free of cars and trucks.

The planned trail extension is “actually only a little over half a mile,” Syrnick said. “But it will eliminate the current dead end (at 61st Street) and allow the trail to actually connect back into the street system.”

The SRDC is a nonprofit working with Philadelphia to build the Schuylkill Banks Trail and Greenway, part of the much longer Schuylkill River Trail.

The Banks Trail starts at Fairmount Dam and runs south along the east side of the river. In order to avoid industry, it crosses to the west side of the river and onto Bartram’s Garden via the Schuylkill Crossing at Grays Ferry, which is currently under construction.

The new section, funded by the grant, will run 3,400 feet along the west side of the river, and enable the trail to cross back to the east side of the river.

On the west side, the trail section will pass through part of the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery now owned by Hilco Redevelopment Partners. Bike riders and walkers would have a view overlooking the river toward Hilco’s planned Bellwether District, a 1,300-acre business and commercial campus.

Syrnick said people who live near the old refinery property will be able to “connect right to Center City by bicycle or jogging — that’s pretty good.”

The new trail extension will “boast magnificent views of the Schuylkill, lighting for nighttime use and safety, and improved stormwater management,” according to a press release.

The Schuylkill Banks Trail and Greenway comprises the southernmost portion of the Schuylkill River Trail, which is planned to run 130 miles, from Philly to Schuylkill County. When the Banks Trail is complete, it will run a continuous eight miles, ending at Fort Mifflin near Philadelphia International Airport.

One of the more ambitious upcoming projects for Schuylkill Banks calls for a $45 million extension to the trail with a bridge along the eastern bank of the Schuylkill, allowing runners, walkers, and cyclists to go over railroad tracks that have long blocked access on the east side of the river.

» READ MORE: Philly proposes $43 million Schuylkill trail extension to include bridge with scenic overlook

That project, already under construction, starts at Christian Street and runs south into the Grays Ferry Crescent trail park. It will feature a pedestrian bridge with two overlooks, similar to the Schuylkill Boardwalk at South Street, and go over an industrial area that includes the rail operations.

Syrnick said the project isn’t expected to be complete until 2025.