TRAILNATION SPOTLIGHT
“This is the fastest, most direct way to get from Southwest Philadelphia to Center City, where the theaters are, where the restaurants are and, most importantly, where the jobs are.” — Joe Syrnick, President and CEO, Schuylkill River Development Corporation look over and, hopefully, see this is a better future,” said Daniel Paschal, the East Coast Greenway Alliance’s Mid-Atlantic manager. On top of its utility, the 650- foot cable-stayed bridge has an eye- catching look with woven cables that form a harplike design, the first of its kind in the state. “Somebody said why don’t we gussy up these cables a little bit by intertwining them,” Syrnick explained. “It adds a new, special look. And when you light up these cables and towers at night, it really looks sharp.” The new bridge opens just in time, as all eyes will soon be on Philadelphia for the 250th anniversa- ry of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. “It lets visitors and residents alike see the city in ways that you never could before,” enthused Paschal. “You see that special mix that Philly has, where you’re kind of looking through an ice core sample of the city’s history.” PHOTOS: From top: Philadelphia’s new Christian to Crescent connector bridge | Dave Tavani; Celebrating the opening of the new bridge, which is part of the Schuylkill River Trail | Joseph E. B. Elliott, courtesy Schuylkill River Development Corporation.
Philadelphia Opens Critical New Bridge Connection on the Schuylkill River Trail
By Lori Litchman
decades. “This is the fastest, most direct way to get from Southwest Philadelphia to Center City, where the theaters are, where the restaurants are and, most importantly, where the jobs are. And if you don’t have a car, and you don’t even have carfare, you can get ahold of a bike.” Philadelphia resident Chris Davis is an actor and dance teacher who uses the Schuylkill River Trail regularly for recreation and com- muting. “It’s just so cool to be able to commute and not worry about cars hitting you,” Davis said. “I’ve ridden a bike every day for almost 15 years, so I’ve had so many close calls. To just relax and not worry about that is really awesome.” Additionally, the trail’s connections to two vast trail systems—the regional Circuit Trails (circuittrails.org), a TrailNation ™ network spanning 800 miles across Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey, and the East Coast Greenway (greenway.org) stretching from Florida to Maine—allow people to reach even more destinations without a car. “I’m hoping this is just the beginning of cutting through the noise of traffic-clogged streets, and people in traffic [on I-76] will
After 10 years of planning, collaborating and fundraising, Philadelphia opened the Christian to Crescent connector bridge this past May, filling a vital gap in the still-growing five-county Schuylkill River Trail (schuylkillriver.org). In development since the 1990s, the trail will eventually follow the river from its confluence with the Delaware River in Philadelphia on a northwest course to Frackville, a distance of more than 120 miles. The new pedestrian bridge opens up more opportunities for community connections, partic- ularly between Center City and the southwestern Philadelphia neighborhood of Grays Ferry—and it avoids busy Interstate 76 by ducking underneath it. It also brings the city one step closer to having a completely off-road trail connecting two National Historic Landmarks in Philadelphia: Fairmount Water Works and Bartram’s Garden. “Having [the trail] as a method of transportation is a form of equity,” said Joe Syrnick, who leads the Schuylkill River Development Corporation and has been working on the Schuylkill River Trail for
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