Q&A Meeting April 5th On Upcoming Walnut Lane Bridge Rehab

The Walnut Lane Bridge, as seen by a golden retriever in 1998

PennDOT is beginning a project to rehab the Walnut Lane Bridge over the Wissahickon. They are hosting a public meeting for those interested in learning more about the project.

Date: Thursday, April 5th
Time: 5:00 - 7:30 pm (come anytime)
Location: The Kendrick Recreation Center, 5822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19128 (across the street from the Roxborough Memorial Hospital)

At this meeting, you can see plans detailing the proposed work to repair the bridge. The PennDOT design team will be on hand to answer questions, collect comments and concerns. Insights gained during this meeting will inform the project to provide the greatest benefit to the local community (to paraphrase their press release).

Schuylkill River Trail from Port Royal to County Line Closed for Construction

Philadelphia's Park and Rec Department and their general contractor, Tony DePaul & Son, have announced that the trail from Port Royal to Montgomery County line will be closed for the next four months for a trail widening project. This trail improvement project will also build a new off-road trail segment from Shawmont to Port Royal Ave. This will end on the street routing through Shawmont.

We caution all cyclists that travelling through a construction zone is illegal. There is no official detour for the trail. River Road has been a tried and true alternate route used by cyclists in the know for many years. The road has passable gates near the City line where the right of way crosses private property. Proceed at your own risk.

Detour Route River Road to Manor Road to the stairway at the Schuylkill River Trail overpass.

View Schuylkill River Trail Closure in a larger map

Some Thoughtful Construction Detours

We have been focusing on the reckless consumption of bicycle and pedestrian space by some construction crews but these two sites on MLK Drive show that it can be done right.

At the Westbank Greenway construction site a cattle chute passageway at the MLK Drive Bridge over the Schuylkill. The protusion also seems to calm the traffic albeit only slightly.



This construction site at the Fish Ladder and Dam on MLK was blocked a few days ago. The construction crew moved the fence back to accommodate trail users. Thanks to the Fairmount Park Staff for keeping things open.