Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: The Race and Locust St gates are closed.
This time, it’s due to the operating mechanism being submerged during the flood that followed Hurricane Ida’s rampage through the Northeast. The gates won’t be opened up again for three months.
The Philadelphia Streets Department has informed us that the gates were completely underwater during the flood for more than a day and will need to be replaced completely due to the damage. Therefore, the gates will remain closed until they’re fixed.
This isn’t good, especially since it’s now peak trail-use season. The best ways to access Schuylkill Banks are via MLK Drive, the JFK Bridge stairs, the South Street Bridge, or the Schuylkill Connector Bridge.
A little good news, though: As we reported yesterday, the Manayunk Towpath should be opened in about two weeks. The Towpath was also devastated during the hurricane.