TCDI Feasibility Studies and the Circuit Trails

TCDI Feasibility Studies and the Circuit Trails

The City of Philadelphia applied for, and received, Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) funding from Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to investigate the feasibility of developing shared-use paths on three rail corridors in the City.
With the cooperation of numerous City Departments and SEPTA, the study was completed by the Michael Baker International earlier this summer and is available online here.

The Fox Chase Lorimer Trail: A connection between Montgomery County’s Pennypack Trail in Lorimer Park and the Fox Chase SEPTA Station.

The study looked at the half mile unused rail line in the City of Philadelphia. Concurrently Montgomery County will extend the path from the city lane to the existing trail.

This project has the fewest hurdles to overcome and may be constructed in 2018. Earlier this month DVRPC awarded a $868,700 CMAQ grant to construct the trail.

Parkside Cynwyd Trail: Similar to the previous trail project; it connects Philadelphia Regional Rail and the longer Cynwyd Heritage Trail in Montgomery County.

The Parkside Cynwyd Trail will be a rail with trail, parallel to SEPTA’s Cynwyd Line. The trail will be a sidepath on Parkside and then connect with the Fairmount Park Trail system at 53rd Street.

The project is expected to cost about $2 Million and could be constructed as early as 2019.

Bartram’s Fort Mifflin Trail: Could possibly be built with the Airport Capacity Enhancement Plan. The multi-year, multi-billion dollar project to expand and modernize Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

The feasibility study recommended that the 3 mile trail be planned and built in concert with the construction of a new freight line, which would replace the tracks along the Delaware that would be removed to expand airport runways.

Given the uncertain nature of the CEP timeline it is likely that the trail would not be built until sometime after 2020. At 61st, the trail will tie in with the SRDC planned extenstion of the Schuylkill River Trail from Bartram’s Garden. SRDC completed that feasibility study completed in 2015

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