Everything about The Schuylkill River Trail totally explained
The
Schuylkill River Trail is a
multi-use trail under construction along the banks of the
Schuylkill River in southeastern
Pennsylvania. Large stretches of the trail are
rail trails.
When complete, the trail is planned to run from the river's headwaters in
Schuylkill County to
Fort Mifflin in
Philadelphia, a distance of about ;
as of 2007, several complete portions of trail exist, including a section from
Auburn to
Hamburg, a portion from
Reading to
Pottstown and a portion from
Oaks to Locust Street in
Center City, Philadelphia.
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.
Trail description
Auburn to Hamburg
Reading to Pottstown
In lower Berks County, the trail is known as the Thun Trail, named after industrialist Ferdinand Thun who founded the Textile Machine Works in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1892 (later moved to the borough of Wyomissing, a suburb of Reading, in 1896). Currently the trail begins in Reading along Riverview Drive then quickly crosses an old railroad bridge into West Reading. It then continues as a gravel path to Gibralter where it becomes an on-road bicycle route following Old River Rd and Schuylkill Rd to Birdsboro. The trail then goes off road as a gravel path to the countly line where it meets the paved Schuylkill River Trail, which currently terminates in Pottstown.
Pottstown to Phoenixville / Mont Clare
Two routes have been proposed for this stretch. One would come down 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.
Mont Clare to Oaks
Planning is completed and construction is under way on the stretch of trail below
Mont Clare. As of May 2008, the southern section between Longford Road, at the end of the Oakes Reach of the
Schuylkill Canal, and the Oaks intersection with the
Perkiomen Trail is open, and is paved except for a gravel segment of about half a mile (which also includes a short trail detour). Two new culverts were constructed and the trail routed over a historical
aqueduct from the Canal, to cross the three streams in this section. The northern section of the Mont Clare-Oaks segment uses the low volume Port Providence Road and Walnut Streets to reach Mont Clare, which run along the left bank of the Canal. In a second phase of construction for the northern segment, the Canal
towpath on the right bank will be refurbished, and a small bridge constructed over a spillway near Port Providence. On
14 February 2008, a meeting was held to announce the survey work for the Phase 2 extension of the Trail along the towpath of the Oakes Reach. It is expected that the towpath restoration itself will commence around March 2009.
Oaks to Philadelphia
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 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
Norristown Transportation Center.
The trail continues eastwards, now paralleling the
SEPTA R6 rail line. On entering
Conshohocken, it passes through industrial areas, passing under
Interstate 476 and intersecting the local Cross-County Trail.
Philadelphia
Shortly after crossing into the city of
Philadelphia, the trail segment ends. Trail traffic is briefly directed onto Nixon and Shawmont Streets, crossing the R6 rail line at the discontinued 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 the end of the towpath at Lock Street. Trail traffic is then directed onto the sidewalk of Main Street and Ridge Avenue to
Fairmount Park, where the trail meets the southern end of the
Wissahickon Trail. Trail traffic then continues along the sidewalk or bike path of
Kelly Drive, which widens into another section of paved multi-use trail.
The trail then winds alongside the bank of the Schuylkill through the park, passing under many railroad and highway bridges and past several monuments. It runs through
Boathouse Row and the Azalea Garden behind the
Philadelphia Art Museum, and next to the
Fairmount Water Works. After that, the trail runs along the riverbank on the west edge of
Center City Philadelphia as a waterfront linear park known as Schuylkill River Park to its current end at Locust Street.
History
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, providing power for what is now
Amtrak's
Harrisburg line.
The Shawmont to
Manayunk portion of the trail runs along the towpath of the historic
Schuylkill Navigation System.
Future
Several portions of trail are expected to be completed by
2008, including
Pottsville to
Auburn,
Hamburg to
Shoemakersville, and
Cromby to
Parkerford. The remainder of
Pottstown to
Mont Clare will be "built in successive years". The remaining sections, from
Shoemakersville to
Reading and from Locust Street to
Fort Mifflin, don't yet have a definite timeframe.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Schuylkill River Trail'.
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