‘Landmark’ $200M in funds for new trails in Philly, Chester, Delco, Montco

Getting funds to build a safe pedestrian and bicycle pathway along Spring Garden Street, from the Schuylkill to the Delaware River in Philly, has long been a goal for proponents such as Patrick Starr.

Now, an infusion of $200 million in government money for new multiple-area trails is being hailed as a landmark level that will make what’s known as the Spring Garden Connector a reality, said Starr, chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition.

“We’ve never had anything like it before,” Starr said of the influx of transportation funding dedicated solely for trails.

The Spring Garden Connector, for example, will receive $21 million spread out through 2036, a good chunk of the project’s estimated $53 million cost, the rest of which had already been earmarked, including $26 million from Philadelphia’s federal transportation money. The connector would run about two miles from Pennsylvania Avenue near Eakins Oval at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and along Spring Garden Street to North Columbus Boulevard, essentially linking the Schuylkill and Delaware River trails.

» READ MORE: Spring Garden’s makeover project has raised enough money to begin a trail-to-trail redesign

Construction for the connector could start in 2026.

Millions of dollars in new funds will also go toward lengthening segments of three other trail systems in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties.

The infusion of federal funds was approved for distribution to counties in July by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) as part of an annual process. Different this year, however, is a new source of money from the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP), which aims to reduce transportation emissions.

“This is a much larger amount of funding going toward trails specifically than we’ve seen before,” said Jesse Buerk, manager of the DVRPC’s office of capital programs. “These county-led projects are pretty significant.”

The CRP provides $120 million for the Circuit Trails, a planned 860-mile network of trails to connect urban, suburban, and rural communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The remaining $80 million of the total $200 million spread out up to 12 years approved by the DVRPC comes from a variety of other government and private sources. The DVRPC is a federally designated planning organization for the Greater Philadelphia region and apportions money for trails and traffic-reducing projects through its transportation improvement program.

DVRPC officials call the approval of money for the 2025 fiscal year starting Oct. 1 a “landmark” level of funding designed to connect “significant segments” of the Circuit Trails championed by the Circuit Trails Coalition, a collaboration of nonprofits, foundations, and agencies.

The coalition’s goal is to complete 500 miles of the Circuit Trails by 2025. The Circuit Trails network currently encompasses 411 miles of completed trails with 77 miles in progress.The paved trails are suitable for walking and cycling. Trail building often takes significant time and money, as officials must not only plan and design them, but also acquire rights or access from governmental, private, or business property owners before construction can start.

Josh Maxwell, chair of the Chester County Board of Commissioners, said the new money will allow for the Chester Valley Trail, now 18.6 miles, to grow by extending along an old rail line from the Whitford Bridge to the Downingtown Trestle, through West Whiteland, East Bradford, and East Caln Townships. The Chester Valley Trail is part of the Circuit Trails. When the entire trail is complete, it will allow for users to go from Philadelphia to Lancaster County through other Circuit Trail connections.

“When complete, the Chester County trail system will serve as “a highway for pedestrians and cyclists,” Maxwell said.

Philadelphia: The money for the Spring Garden Connector will pay for a complete street design including improvements to traffic signals, lighting, and streetscape; Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalks; green stormwater infrastructure; bike lanes; and access to bus and subway stations. Besides connecting the Schuylkill and Delaware River trails, it would also help connect several Philadelphia neighborhoods and waterfront parks, and complete the Center City section of the East Coast Greenway, a planned trail system designed to eventually connect 15 states for 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida.

Chester County: Money for the Chester Valley Trail: Phase I project will pay for construction of the first phase of a planned seven-mile trail along the alignment of the former Philadelphia and Thorndale Branch (P & T Line) rail corridor. The trail will connect several townships and reach other portions of the Schuylkill to the Susquehanna Greenway in Lancaster County.

Montgomery County: The current Cross-County Trail is three miles long and intersects the Schuylkill River Trail, ending at Germantown Pike. The new money will fund extensions to help complete the fully planned 17.5 miles of trail connecting the Wissahickon Trail, SEPTA’s Fort Washington Station, the Willow Grove YMCA, and eventually the Power Line Trail. The project includes a bridge over Germantown Pike for use by pedestrians and cyclists. The trail will eventually end at an intersection with the Pennypack Trail, and link to other segments of the Circuit Trails.

Delaware County: New money will pay for the road’s redesign in the City of Chester, and supplement a new project, the PA 291 Complete Streets: Irving Street to Ridley Creek, funding a new trail as well as improvements including safety features, green infrastructure, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Officials say the project, known as the State Route 291 corridor, addresses serious safety concerns expressed by pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists.

But money is also going toward expanding existing trail projects in the region.

The DVRPC alternates funding years between Pennsylvania and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer Counties in New Jersey. As a result, those counties were not included in this round of funding for the 2025 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. It will be their turn for funding next year.