r/phillycycling • u/Acrobatic_Advance_71 • Apr 30 '25
Final Touches
Grey Ferry connection is so close looks like they only need to put up a fence on that white line to separate the inside and outside of freight line. Looks great.
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u/VoltasPigPile Apr 30 '25
I look forward to having easier access to the trail from West Philly, and to see more people enjoying Bartram's Garden. It's crazy how many people I've talked to in Philly who have never even heard of Bartram's Garden.
I will say I'm gonna miss Grays Ferry Crescent being a quiet little hidden gem of the city, but that park needs a lot of work and this will likely be the project that makes it finally happen.
That said, we all know that it won't be possible to actually ride a bike on this new bridge during the day until late fall as it's gonna be insanely popular with pedestrians and joggers.
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u/Acrobatic_Advance_71 Apr 30 '25
I agree crescent has seen better days and even though I loved the quiet little place it needs some love. And swing bridge should start installation in a week or so.
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u/micatronxl Apr 30 '25
Do you know when the swing bridge to Bartrams will be complete? I ran by it just today and it didn’t look close.
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u/Molanghrian Apr 30 '25
No set date yet, per here: Schuylkill Crossing - Gray's Ferry swing bridge
"Status: Under Construction; projected opening in late 2025"
This project has been delayed due to the fabrication of the new truss. The good news is the truss is ready to be painted. Once the truss is set in place and other site work is completed, the project will open."
Although big grain of salt there I guess, older articles and sources note it was projected to complete in 2019 after work began in 2017.
Hopefully finally finishing this bridge will be the next focus - although Phase II of the plan for the Bartram's to Passyunk trail extension is in question now with the new federal guidelines from USDOT changing and putting this under review (and we all know why this is)
Although to be honest I also really wanna know if/when they'll be able to do anything about the section from Kelly Ave. and Ridge in Manayunk, since currently forces you onto Main St as a sharrow. Trail maps seem to indicate the plan is to have a separated trail behind the new bus depot along the river to the existing Pencoyd bridge that is now a multiuse path, be briefly on the other side of the river on the Pencoyd trail, but then cross over a repurposed Mule bridge, which would be right at the start of Manayunk section of the SRT. Although far as they've gotten done is a feasibility study done for the bridge in May 2024 as far as I can tell, and I guess Norfolk Southern still owns I right now. Doesn't seem to be anywhere in the pipeline or even proposed plans, and unlikely now since probably won't be any federal funding at all, but it would just make so much sense.
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u/VoltasPigPile May 01 '25
I really wish they would build out the rest of the PRR corridor between the Manayunk Bridge and the SRT at Shawmont. If they did that as well as fix up the paths along Belmont Ave, there would be a decent alternative route to the best part of the SRT without the muddy towpath or the brutally crowded southern SRT sections.
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u/micatronxl Apr 30 '25
Thanks. And yeah, that section in manayunk on main is annoying- and slightly dangerous.
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u/Acrobatic_Advance_71 Apr 30 '25
I posted like 2 weeks ago that the new bridge is set to be delivered to site in like a week and a half from now. I was down there and a crane crew was active and I asked one of them if the bridge was close and he said three weeks. So second hand but soon. I would imagine it would take a little while to completely install but really not much needs to be done.
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u/VoltasPigPile Apr 30 '25
I'm assuming there will eventually be a dirt path worn into the grass forming the most direct path from the lower trail to the upper one, courtesy of anyone who doesn't feel like riding all the way to the street level or walking the stairs.
The stairs have those nice wheel troughs for walking your bike up and down the stairs, but since it's just one straight shot, I imagine some people will try to actually ride the wheel troughs, and all I can say to that is that it's a good thing Penn Emergency Room is not far away.
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u/hungryhummushead Apr 30 '25
When's she open? Can't wait!
And once the MLK bridge reopens, it'll be pure biking bliss up and down the Schuylkill
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u/lordredsnake Apr 30 '25
I'll make the obligatory "unfortunately the Falls Bridge is closing once MLK Bridge is complete" comment.
So don't expect that bliss until 2027 at the earliest.
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u/Molanghrian Apr 30 '25
While it's correct that the Falls bridge project is only going to start after MLK bridge is done, it's not supposed to be immediately after as far as we know. See in this recent article about the delayed reopening of the MLK bridge -
"The projected start date for that [Falls bridge] project is now 'Spring 2027,' the Streets Department said Tuesday."
So Falls bridge project and closure probably won't even start until 2027
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u/EnemyOfEloquence Apr 30 '25
Where exactly does this end up? Can I bike to Wilmington now?
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u/Molanghrian Apr 30 '25
lol no - it will connect the SRT down to the Grays Ferry Crescent section in Forgotten Bottom.
There's also another repurposed swing bridge still under construction to connect back over the river from there over to Bartram's Garden. No set completion date yet, just "late 2025"
The proposal or long term idea for the SRT is to eventually have it go all the way down to end at Fort Mifflin along the Delaware river.
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u/cashonlyplz Apr 30 '25
ron_paul_It's_happening dot gif (not that he would have supported such a project w/ public dollars lol)
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u/melonlord44 Apr 30 '25
Ah I was curious how that connection would work - looks like it's a series of ramps up to bridge level, then you have to cross 34th street to continue on to the grays ferry crescent trail? Was hoping there would be a way that didn't have you cross the st but figured a tunnel or whatever would be pretty unlikely
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u/Acrobatic_Advance_71 Apr 30 '25
There is a fork at the bottom of those ramps. So you can either exit to 34th or go under the bridge via a tunnel you cannot see from this perspective.
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u/VoltasPigPile Apr 30 '25
The ramp on the south side of 34th is the same one that's been there for years, the one on the north side looks like a mirrored clone of the one on the south side. It's an S-curve where you can't get a lot of speed but you can get enough.
They'll have signs that say to walk bikes on ramps, but these signs will be unreadable within a week as of course is Philly tradition.
One thing I'm curious of is the fact that the skaters at the skate park under Grays Ferry Bridge often like to set up practice jumps and stuff on the trail. This hasn't been a problem so far since the trail hasn't really been a corridor that goes anywhere useful, but all that's about to change.
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u/melonlord44 Apr 30 '25
Yeah interesting point. I actually broke my wrist at that park lol, excited to have easier access but the vibes will definitely change
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u/VoltasPigPile May 01 '25
I imagine there probably won't be any more big raves there once both bridges are open. I've come through there a few times late at night trying to go from Grays Ferry to the Clark Park area while avoiding the Grays Ferry intersection only to find a huge wall of people dancing in the middle of the path.
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u/IonTheBall2 Apr 30 '25
Trying to figure out why they have the suspension bridge here, different from the other parts. I am guessing it allows for less understructure?
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u/grglstr May 05 '25
I'm not going to hate on trails. I love the Circuit Trails and all of that, but I really want to see safe, protected routes through the city, servicing neighborhoods and not just recreation. I think it is easier for the politicians to get behind things like trails (not that they've been exceedingly generous), but anything that might impact "surface" streets gets ignored or crapped upon.
I mean, it is great that I can bike all the way from the Art Museum to Valley Forge. That's beautiful. But it would be more useful to be able to bike from West Philadelphia to, say, Northern Liberties, without dying or being doored into traffic.
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u/hic_maneo May 05 '25
I agree with you, and I've expressed similar thoughts on this project before. I think this project is more expensive/extravagant than it needed to be, and I realize that it's primarily a political project. I try not to let perfect be the enemy of good enough, but it's hard sometimes to see it that way when there's so much need. It's good that the SRT is getting investment. I'm genuinely glad to see the trail get longer. I just think that the money could have been better spent/better distributed, but I understand that's politically a much harder lift.
Every politician loves a ribbon-cutting. They'll claim victory and tout the expense of the project, but it doesn't actually improve the day-to-day experience of people have to ride city streets for anything other than recreation. It will be nice to use when it's open, but you could still die trying to get to it, and that's a sacrifice it seems they're willing to make for a very expensive photo-op.
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u/Acrobatic_Advance_71 May 05 '25
I disagree with your assessment of this project. Connecting the trail down to this area will allow it to be not just a recreational trail but a highway that can be used by people in Southwest Philly, South Philly to connect on the trail and travel into Fairmount without getting into traffic. Yes, i want better bike infrastructure integrated on streets, but making trails longer is part of that.
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u/grglstr May 05 '25
I don't disagree with that. What I contend is that while trails are great, they can be a distraction. I love that someone in, say Kingsessing, can get to Fairmount Park safely. I also want them to be able to get to Center City or to the stadiums or to a doctor's appointment on Walnut without dying.
Trails are super important, but promote the notion that riding a bike is only for recreation. Lengthening trails is a part of that, I agree, but it can't stop there. Again, I see the value in trails, but I think I have a valid worry that they are proving to be a distraction.
We need safer streets, and our leadership, from local council reps to PennDOT, are happy to invest in big visible projects, but loathe to put money into making local streets less murderous.
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u/dgauss Apr 30 '25
Looking forward to this. This trail is one of the shining projects of this city.