Philadelphians celebrate Schuylkill River Trail extension

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Philadelphians of all ages wasted no time in taking advantage of the sunny and warm Saturday to traverse the newly-opened Christian to Crescent section of the Schuylkill River Trail.

A decade in the making, the 650-foot cable bridge spans a half-mile to extend the Schuylkill River Trail to the Grays Ferry Crescent.

Kyndall Nicholas and Nohelly Derosiers were walking on the trail from Grays Ferry towards Center City, where they planned to try a new ice cream shop in Rittenhouse.

Nicholas, a Grays Ferry resident, said in the past she has had to walk to the Graduate Hospital neighborhood to be able to access the trail, and has been eagerly awaiting the completion of this project since 2020.

“I’m excited that I get this opportunity to actually have a connection closer to where I live,” she said.

Nicholas said she likes to come to the trail to take walks, hang out in a hammock, eat and paint. Access to green spaces, she said, is important for public health.

“I think it just makes it more accessible in general, for whether it’s fitness or whether it’s just a reason to get outside, so that you don’t only see trash or just sidewalks that are cracked and hard to walk on or hard to run on,” she said. “So being able to have a space like this actually makes it easier for us of all ages and all kinds of people, to be able to do these things on a regular basis.”

State Rep. Jordan Harris, whose 186th state House district covers both South and Southwest Philly, told the crowd gathered at the Christian Street entrance Saturday that he lives just a few blocks from the new section, and sees the “benefit” the trail will bring to the area.

“I have a firm belief that green space should be available to all people in our public and it shouldn’t matter how much money you have, it shouldn’t matter your education,” he said. “This project represents exactly that. It represents the connectivity of different neighborhoods, different socioeconomic skill levels.”

State Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Philadelphia, highlighted bipartisan support for the project, but in a reference to President Donald Trump’s recent crackdowns on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, Williams said the trail shows “DEI is not dead.”

“The essence of this trail is inscribed in the essence of what the visionaries thought, a place that somebody with holy garb of a Jewish faith, a Muslim faith, could walk side by side in peace and sunlight,” he said. “A person who is young, old, disabled, not thought of, forget your sexual orientation, can travel down a path and release their stress on a given day. This is America. This is what America truly is about.”

Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, touted Gov. Josh Shapiro’s support for building trails across the commonwealth.

“This is exactly what needs to happen in our cities and communities across Pennsylvania,” she said. “And when the eyes of America are on Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, next year for the 250th anniversary of this country, Philadelphia is going to look really good, the city of community connection.”

Harris said the next project to keep an eye on is the Schuylkill Crossing bridge, which could open as soon as this fall. That would connect the Schuylkill River Trail with Southwest Philadelphia.

Chris Davis, a Point Breeze resident and bicyclist who attended the trail opening, said he looks forward to the bridge’s completion. He works at Bartram’s High School, and commutes there by bike.

“Right now, my commute there is absolutely insane. I would never recommend it,” he said. “But with this trail, when it’s finally completed … it’s gonna change all the neighborhoods. It’s gonna change everything there. I hope everything changes for the better.”

In the meantime, he plans to enjoy the Christian to Crescent trail.

“I bike every day in Philadelphia, I’ve been biking for 15 years here almost every day,” he said. “Anytime you can get off the road is just a blissful experience to not worry about being hit by a car.”