First section of waterfront trail is officially open

May 27, 2010

Just over a mile of The Delaware Riverfront Trail, a joint project of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and the Center City District, was officially opened Thursday afternoon.

The project begins just before the vast parking lots of the Wal*Mart big box store, near Pier 70. It hugs the river behind the Foxwoods Casino site, then skirts across the edge of a parking lot and back out to the river until it reaches the Coast Guard station at Washington Avenue. The trail then follows the sidewalk along Delaware Avenue up to Lombard Circle, delineated with painted lines and bicycle symbols.

Prior to the ribbon cutting, Tom Corcoran, President of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, Mayor Nutter, Councilman Frank DiCicco and Paul R. Levy, President & CEO of the Center City District, spoke of the value add the 1.3-mile long mixed-use recreational trail will bring to citizens of Philadelphia as they reconnect with the Delaware River waterfront.

From Lombard Street to the Pier 70 shopping center, the trail provides a connection to Center City’s successful bike lanes, a safe alternative to the busy traffic of Columbus Boulevard and wonderful views of an oft-hidden part of the city. The trail is the first phase in a series that will extend it from the Race Street Pier to Pier 53.  Check out previous PlanPhilly coverage of the Delaware River Trail as Kellie Patrick Gates walked the trail in October 2009.

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