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36-590: The Schuylkill River Trail ( / ˈ s k uː l k ɪ l / SKOOL -kil , locally /- k əl / ) is a multi-use trail along the banks of the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania . Partially complete as of 2018, the trail is ultimately planned to run about 140 miles (230 km) from the river's headwaters in Schuylkill County to Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia . Completed portions of

72-546: A 24-theater cinema. In 2008, the expanded Oaks Wastewater Treatment Plant was completed, and a new round of both housing and retail growth began, including the opening of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center . Interest in resuming rail service was spurred by the Schuylkill Valley Metro (SVM) project, which was rejected by Federal Transit Administration in 2006. Another cancelled proposal called

108-528: A 3,000-mile trail system connecting Maine to Florida. On many maps and street atlases, and on some of the trail's signage, the segment between Philadelphia and Valley Forge is still identified by the older name Philadelphia–Valley Forge Trail . The Schuylkill River Trail begins at a trailhead at the Kernsville Dam in Auburn just above Hamburg . The trail runs through Reading to Pottstown until it reaches

144-692: A park along the Grays Ferry river bend. This trail section received $ 12 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation in March 2018, and construction began in 2020. The $ 45 million bridge is expected to be completed by 2025. The project is being designed by AECOM, built by PKF-Mark III, overseen by the Streets Department and PennDOT, owned by the City of Philadelphia. It will be maintained by Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and SRDC. A related project involves

180-471: A path (and therefore pedestrians may walk wherever they choose). Shared-use paths alongside the highway often look like sidewalks to motorists. Therefore, at side roads, in jurisdictions where pedestrians do not have priority at side roads, the priority situation at side roads on shared-use paths can be confusing and often cyclists are required to give way to turning motorists. Before the January 2022 revision,

216-497: A poorly marked on-road bicycle route following Old River Road and Schuylkill Road to Birdsboro . From there, the trail follows the old concrete industrial collector, Armorcast Road, to the rear entrance of a ballfield. The trail then goes off-road as a gravel path to the county line where it meets the paved Schuylkill River Trail, which currently terminates in Pottstown. Two routes have been proposed for this stretch. One would come down

252-606: A short distance, then runs through Valley Forge National Historical Park . After leaving the park at Betzwood , it continues along the river to Norristown, where it crosses over U.S. Route 202 and runs through the middle of the Norristown Transportation Center . The trail continues eastwards, now parallel to the SEPTA Manayunk/Norristown rail line. On entering Conshohocken , it passes through industrial areas, under Interstate 476 , and intersects

288-449: A spillway near Port Providence . On February 14, 2008, a meeting was held to announce the survey work for the Phase 2 extension. This would provide an off-road alternative between Longford Road and Mont Clare. It was expected that the towpath restoration itself would commence in the fall of 2010, but Montgomery County put the project on hold due to budget constraints. In early 2013, construction

324-581: Is an unincorporated community located in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania , United States. The community is 18 miles (30 km) northwest of Philadelphia and its boundaries are defined in large part by the village's position at the junction of Perkiomen Creek and the Schuylkill River . The two waterways defined much of the village's early history. In 1825, the Schuylkill Navigation Company completed

360-676: Is expected in mid-2025. Many current and proposed sections of the Schuylkill River Trail, including the Thun Trail and the Oaks to Philadelphia portion, are rail trails , following the right-of-way of the former Schuylkill Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad . Live catenary wires are still in place above the trail between Norristown and Philadelphia. These are part of Amtrak's 25 Hz traction power system , and supply power for both

396-620: The Greenline would have made Oaks the terminus of a new rail line to Paoli , with a new station located adjacent to the Expo Center. Public attractions in Oaks include the 107-acre (0.43 km ) Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, Schuylkill River Trail , and the Perkiomen Trail . The private West Collection of artwork is open to the public at the headquarters of SEI Investments , and Oaks is now home to

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432-472: The Highway Code gave no advice to pedestrians on how to share space with cyclists; there was also little guidance given to cyclists. (The 2023 edition covers both aspects. The UK Department for Transport advises local authorities that cyclists and pedestrians should not be expected to share space on or alongside city streets. Sustrans gives advice for cyclists, walkers and runners using shared-use paths on

468-708: The National Cycle Network . The Milton Keynes redway system is an example of a city-wide network of shared-use paths. The network consists of over 200 miles (320 km) of shared-use paths that avoid the city's busy and fast grid roads (which run between neighbourhoods rather than through them). In the US, the 1999 AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities defines a shared-use path as being physically separated from motor vehicular traffic with an open space or barrier. Oaks, Pennsylvania Oaks

504-536: The Perkiomen Trail was constructed. This section follows much of the filled portion of the Oakes Reach and is paved except for a gravel segment of about half a mile (which also includes a short trail detour). To cross the three streams in this section, two new culverts were constructed and the trail temporarily routed over a historical aqueduct from the Canal at Crossman's Run. A new bridge was built across Crossman's Run for

540-751: The Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line and Northeast Corridor . The Shawmont-to- Manayunk portion of the trail runs along the towpath of the historic Schuylkill Canal (Schuylkill Navigation System). Multi-use trail The path may also permit other users such as inline skating . Contrastingly, motorcycles and mopeds are normally prohibited. Shared-use paths sometimes provide different lanes for users who travel at different speeds to prevent conflicts between user groups on high-use trails. Shared-use paths are criticised for creating conflict between different users. The UK's Department for Transport deprecates this kind of route in denser urban environments. In

576-579: The Schuylkill Canal and Brower's Locks at Oaks, and the system was heavily traveled. The village of Oaks was named after the canal's designer, Thomas Oakes . Later in the nineteenth century, the railroad largely supplanted the role of the canal. The Perkiomen Railroad built the Oaks station in 1868. The Philadelphia and Reading, sometimes referred to as the Reading Railroad , merged the short line as its Perkiomen Branch. Oaks village cropped up around

612-538: The Spring Garden Street Bridge and West River Drive Bridge , the trail runs along the riverbank on the west edge of Center City, Philadelphia as a waterfront park named Schuylkill Banks. At Locust Street the trail splits with a bridge carrying the trail over CSX -owned railroad tracks to terminate in Schuylkill River Park , while a 2,000 ft (610 m) boardwalk opened in 2014 extends over

648-614: The UK Department for Transport found that cyclists and pedestrians prefer wider non-segregated paths to more narrow segregated paths (e.g. a 3 m wide shared path, compared with a 3 m path split into 1.5 m sections). The principal benefit of a shared-use path is saving space. This may be important in environmentally-sensitive areas or on narrow streets, where a full cycle track may not be feasible. Shared use paths are criticised for creating conflict between pedestrians and cyclists and creating complaints from pedestrians and speed. Therefore,

684-716: The Riverfront Park on College Drive near the Reading Railroad Pottstown Station . This section passes through the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area, an area generally known for recreational fishing. In lower Berks County , the trail follows the existing Thun Trail, named for industrialist Ferdinand Thun, who founded the Textile Machine Works in Reading in 1892 (later moved to

720-514: The UK, cyclists are legally permitted to cycle on bridleways (paths open to horse riders), but not on public footpaths. Therefore, bridleways are, in effect, a form of shared-use path. On segregated or divided paths, the path is split into a section for pedestrians and a section for cyclists. This may be achieved with a painted line or different surface. It may also be delineated with tactile paving for blind and visually impaired pedestrians. Research by

756-547: The borough of Wyomissing, a suburb of Reading, in 1896). Plans are underway for a connection from Reading, north to Hamburg. The current northern edge links the trail with the Union Canal towpath. The trail begins in North Reading, along Riverview Drive, then quickly crosses an old railroad bridge into West Reading. It then continues as a mixed-surface path of macadam, gravel, coarse stone, and chalk to Gibraltar where it becomes

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792-529: The conversion of an abandoned railway swing bridge to a pedestrian and cyclist swing bridge connecting Grays Ferry Crescent to Bartram's Mile: a park on the west side of the Schuylkill River, north of Bartram's Garden . The bridge is under construction south of the Grays Ferry Bridge , with funding from the city, state, and a Federal Highway Administration program. Completion of the bridge conversion

828-711: The east bank of the Schuylkill River through the park, first passing by the Falls Bridge , then passing under many railroad and highway bridges, past several monuments and Laurel Hill Cemetery . It runs beside the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial and Boathouse Row before following the Azalea Garden behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art and next to the Fairmount Water Works . After passing under

864-647: The end of the towpath at Lock Street. Trail traffic is then directed onto the street or sidewalks of Main Street and Ridge Avenue toward Fairmount Park , where the trail meets the southern end of the Wissahickon Trail . Trail traffic continues on the road or sidewalk over the historic Ridge Avenue Bridge ( NRHP ) crossing the Wissahickon Creek , and turning right onto the paved multi-use trail beside Kelly Drive through east Fairmount Park. The trail then winds along

900-555: The local Cross County Trail . Shortly after crossing into Philadelphia, trail traffic is briefly directed onto Nixon and Shawmont Streets, crossing the SEPTA Manayunk/Norristown Line's tracks at the decommissioned Shawmont station . The trail continues southeastward, unpaved, along the former Manayunk Canal Towpath of the Schuylkill Navigation System , passing through the neighborhood of Manayunk to

936-678: The main SRT designation. In April 2011, the Spring City -to-Cromby segment opened on the Chester County side. This segment includes a new trailhead on Township Line Road, near the Cromby Power Plant. Until 2020, there was a disconnect in the official SRT between Phoenixville and Mont Clare, although foot and bicycle traffic easily used the Mont Clare Bridge sidewalk to connect. In 2019-2020

972-504: The paths do not properly take into account the different needs of different road users. For example a study by the Institute for Chartered Engineers found that users of shared use paths were confused about the nature of the path and who has priority on them. Pedestrians are sometimes unsure how to behave on shared-use paths. The question arises whether the path is to be treated as a road (therefore pedestrians should face oncoming traffic), or

1008-463: The right bank (Chester County side) and end near Cromby Generating Station, above Phoenixville , then use borough streets and the Mont Clare Bridge ( PA29 ) to connect with the trail section along the Canal in Mont Clare. The other plan would bring the trail down the left bank to Mont Clare. It appears that both options may eventually be built, with the Chester County trail proceeding first and carrying

1044-540: The river and continues to South Street , ending at the south side of the South Street Bridge . The bridge deck is reached by a ramp to the north side of the bridge or by a staircase with a bike trough up to the south side of the bridge. On May 20, 2009, as one of its last acts, the Fairmount Park Commission approved the acquisition of 12 acres (49,000 m) of land along the Schuylkill River to extend

1080-492: The river trail. From South Street to Christian Street, the trail continues over land owned by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia , which announced plans to host the trail in 2013 and opened the section on April 20, 2018. The next extension of the river trail includes an under-construction cable-stayed bridge to connect Christian Street along the eastern bank of the river to the existing trail in Grays Ferry Crescent,

1116-466: The sidewalk was replaced with a 10 foot wide, barrier protected trail segment, officially closing the gap. The stretch of trail from Mont Clare to the Perkiomen Creek near Oaks opened in the spring of 2008. In the first phase of construction the southern section of the trail between Longford Road at the present watered end of the Oakes Reach of the Schuylkill Canal and the Oaks intersection with

Schuylkill River Trail - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-425: The station. Oaks today is set in dense suburbs. Many of its original structures remain, including the general store, the locktender's house, and many historic homes. Although the tracks are no longer in service in the center of Oaks, a station built in 1918 to replace the original is still located today at the intersection of Egypt Road and Station Avenue. In 1985, construction of the eastern portion of US Route 422

1188-400: The trail and the paving was completed. For phase 1, the northern section, upstream of Longford Road, is signed along the low volume Port Providence Road and Walnut Street, which run along the left bank of the Canal, to reach Mont Clare. In a second phase of construction for the northern segment, the Canal towpath on the canal right bank will be refurbished, and a small bridge constructed over

1224-474: The trail include a section from Auburn to Hamburg , a 19.5-mile (31.4 km) portion from Reading to Pottstown , and a 23.2-mile (37.3 km) portion from Oaks to where Christian Street would meet the Schuylkill River, just South of Center City Philadelphia and East of University of Pennsylvania . Large stretches of the trail are rail trails . Parts of it belong to the East Coast Greenway ,

1260-428: Was completed, connecting King of Prussia to Oaks and out to Reading and beyond, and spurring growth in the area. However, Oaks remained less developed than its suburban neighbors, due to a limited number of connections to its wastewater treatment plant. As plans for a new plant began, development started in the retail space next to the highway, starting with the construction of several modern box store retailers and

1296-500: Was started on the towpath portion of the trail with improvements to the Route 29 underpass and construction of a new spillway and foot bridge opposite Port Providence. The next segment of the trail begins in Oaks at the southern end of the Perkiomen Trail and a trailhead at Pawlings Road. This paved segment runs along the abandoned trackbed of the former Schuylkill Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad . It runs beside U.S. Route 422 for

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