The missing link between Botanic Avenue and the Bartram’s connector trail.
Ever feel like all we do on Fitness Fridays is yell at you about trails and sidepaths? Well, you’re more or less right on that one, and with good reason: there’s a lot of trail activity happening in our city and region! Why, just this week we saw good news and timeline updates about projects in Camden and Manayunk/Montgomery County! And in Port Richmond! In every case, these projects expand not only recreational and fitness opportunities, but the possibilities of active commuting! I mean, how cool will it be to able to choose to live in a great neighborhood like Roxborough or Manayunk even when your job is in Bala Cynwyd, and to not have to worry about driving on City Ave because you can BIKE TO WORK. But no, we must control ourselves, because today’s highlight is many miles down the Schuylkill from there. It’s in the tidal Schuylkill, in fact, below the dam at the Fairmount Waterworks.
Today we’re talking about the Bartram’s Mile. It’s ok if you haven’t heard of it before, because it hasn’t been called that until pretty much this week. It’s also ok if you haven’t been there before, because we’re talking waterfront that has never been publicly accessible. Ever. If you’ve ever been down to the dock at Bartram’s Garden – did you know there was one? – then you’ve been in the neighborhood: the Bartram’s Mile refers to the missing links of Schuylkill River trail to both the north AND south of the Garden. All in all, we’re talking Grays Ferry Avenue down to 58th Street. If you follow this issue closely, then you should know that with the Bartram’s Mile completed, the only thing left is to jump the river and you’re at grays Ferry Crescent. and then the only thing is to get up to South Street, and you’ve got a seamless river experience from Bartram’s Garden to Montgomery County. We’re getting there, folks.
We bring this up now because Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, in partnership with SRDC and the John Bartram Association, is ready to roll on this project, and they want your input on the design. There are four opportunities to explore the site and contribute to the discussion between now and December. Details HERE. Penn Praxis will lead the public engagement efforts.
The coolest things about this trail segment are that 1) they’re the first Schuylkill River Trail segments to be constructed in Southwest Philadelphia, not counting the trail recently completed through Bartram’s Garden itself. SW residents do not all have equitable access to open space, and it has been decades since any residents of this area had convenient access to the natural landscape of a waterfront. 2) We’ve actually got some width in this stretch, and by that we mean, this isn’t just a matter of putting down a 14 ft trail and planting some grass. There’s enough land to create around 8 acres of actual park along the water, which really opens up how we think about programming the space. Good stuff. TGIF. GO TO THE MEETINGS!
