City of Philadelphia: Projects

Baxter Trail

The Baxter Trail is a three (3) mile length of riverside trail which will be a part of the Delaware River Trail and the East Coast Greenway. Designed to connect Pennypack on the Delaware with Pleasant Hill Park, the trail will feature a dramatic 200' bridge span over the Pennypack Creek. The trail will pass through diverse man-made environments and habitats and provide Philadelphians with unprecedented access to the Delaware River. Interpretive signage will orient trail users to the flora, fauna and built environment features adjacent to the trail.

The project is fully designed and funded through the Federally-funded Transportation Improvement Program. Project sponsors include: the Delaware River City Corporation, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Commerce Department, Holmesburg Fish and Game Protective Association, the Philadelphia Water Department and the Philadelphia Police and Fire Departments. Construction is set to start in 2013.

View a full-size version of the project map.

Port Richmond Trail

The Port Richmond Trail is a two (2) mile stretch of sidepath trail which will ultimately be a part of the Delaware River Trail and the East Coast Greenway. The trail begins at Allegheny Ave. and Richmond St. and follows Allegheny Avenue as it becomes N. Delaware Ave. At Lewis Street, the sidepath will continue north with the widening of Delaware Avenue to Orthodox St., a Streets Department project. The Port Richmond trail will provide safe connections from the Monkiewicz Playground to Pulaski Park and possibly to the future Frankford Creek Greenway.

The project is fully designed and funded through the Federally-funded Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. Philadelphia Parks & Recreation has worked closely with the Delaware River City Corporation to see this project to fruition.

The project has been bid and awarded and is set to go into construction late Fall 2012.

View a full-size version of the map of the trail segments.

Schuylkill River Trail Gap Analysis at the Wissahickon Gateway

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is pleased to present the culmination of nearly two years of planning work centered on the Wissahickon Gateway: a highly congested area along the Schuylkill River Trail. Complicated public, private and transit-related land uses make this a challenging landscape to navigate as a bicyclist or a pedestrian. The City’s consultants, Michael Baker Corporation and Toole Design Group, working in concert with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the Department of Public Property have proposed preferred short-term and long-term solutions for improving the movement of bicycle and pedestrian traffic through this area. This study will inform further design development which will ultimately lead to construction of a workable solution.

This project was generously supported in part through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund—a program of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Click here to download the Schuylkill River Trail Gap Analysis at the Wissahickon Gateway as well as the Appendix.