Trestle purchase a step in right direction for Cresheim Valley Trail

Posted 7/19/18

The trestle over Germantown Avenue at Cresheim Valley Drive was just purchased by the city. It's an important step into completing the Cresheim Valley Trail. by Will McQuillan After nearly 10 years …

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Trestle purchase a step in right direction for Cresheim Valley Trail

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The trestle over Germantown Avenue at Cresheim Valley Drive was just purchased by the city. It's an important step into completing the Cresheim Valley Trail.

by Will McQuillan

After nearly 10 years of work, the City of Philadelphia has purchased the train trestle that crosses Germantown Avenue parallel to Cresheim Valley Drive, a crucial piece for the completion of the Philadelphia portion of the Cresheim Valley Trail.

The trestle and nearby right-of-way, part of which was acquired on a 25-year licensing agreement to contain the proposed trail bed, were formerly owned by the Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO). The purchase and lease were completed in May, after City Councilwoman Cindy Bass’ December, 2017 bill to allow the acquisition was approved unanimously.

Friends of Cresheim Trail, the non-profit that has been the driving force behind the trail’s development, is working with the Philadelphia and Montgomery County governments to expand the multi-use path. It currently spans one and a half miles, from the trailhead at Allens Lane and Lincoln Drive to Germantown Avenue.

When complete the trail will add another six miles of path and connect to the Green Ribbon Trail in Fort Washington State Park, with another branch linking to Arcadia University in Glenside.

“In Philadelphia we can build it all at once, but when we get into Montgomery County the phase that makes the most sense [to build next] is the one that connects to Philadelphia,” said Susan Dannenberg, Chair of the Friends of Cresheim Trail board.

That phase, which will run parallel to Ivy Hill Road north of Stenton Avenue, then cut northwest through Laverock toward Route 309, links to the Philadelphia portion of the trail via the former PECO right-of-way. That area and the Germantown Avenue trestle, which once contained electrified train tracks, will need to be evaluated for environmental contamination. Friends of Cresheim Trail met with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation officials early this month to begin discussing potential environmental studies. They will later apply for grants to fund any necessary environmental remediation.

Now that the completion of the trail’s Philadelphia portion is in sight, Friends of Cresheim Trail has begun to focus its attention on the planned Montgomery County branches.

“Springfield and Cheltenham have been waiting for the Philadelphia piece to be built as a measure of success, but Springfield has very few trails. Those people who have a trail in their neighborhood can connect to either the Delaware or the Schuylkill, but this is in the middle, and connects to both,” Dannenberg said.

The trail extensions are included in official long-term plans in both Springfield and Cheltenham Townships, and the Montgomery County Capital budget sets aside trail-specific funds that could be allocated to the project in 2020 and 2021. Friends of Cresheim Trail will also seek state and federal grants to meet the cost of creating the new route.

In addition to fundraising, work on the trail will mainly concern the acquisition of necessary rights-of-way and the finalization of trail designs.

“Currently, a large portion of the trail is a PECO powerline corridor, and we don’t have any leases with them,” said Henry Stroud, Montgomery County Principal Planner for Trails and Open Space. “We haven’t faced any major difficulties because we haven’t started on the project in earnest.”

For now, Friends of Cresheim Trail and local officials have been holding public meetings to build enthusiasm and answer questions about the proposed trail extension. Dannenberg says reaction has mostly been positive, but that concerns have been brought up.

“I think the two things people are worried about are safety and taxes,” she said. “You’re more likely to have crime on an abandoned railway than on a clearly marked trail.”

Stroud, who cites 2019 as a potential start date for planning work on the Montgomery County extension, believes that the benefits of having a trail nearby outweigh any potential issues.

“There aren’t any good, safe bicycle or pedestrian connections between Montgomery County and Philadelphia in that area, and we’re hoping that the trail will be used by bicyclists,” he said.

Plans to put a mural on the Germantown Avenue trestle in conjunction with the Mural Arts Program have been put on hold due to the potential construction.

Will McQuillan is a Local intern.

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