On Tuesday, January 7th, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced the first round of Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) funding which provided $44.5 million for active transportation networks to connect walking and biking routes nationwide. The FHWA issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity under ATIIP in March 2024 that resulted in 352 applications requesting more than $1.8 billion in funding – far exceeding the amount available. With the funding available, the FHWA awarded only 4% of projects, selecting 14 that serve projects throughout the nation.
In Pennsylvania, the City of Philadelphia will receive nearly $13.7 million to close a critical gap in the Schuylkill River Trail by constructing the Wissahickon Gateway Trail and the Passyunk Connection adjacent to historically disadvantaged communities in the southwest section of the city. Once completed, these two projects will include an additional 1.29 miles to the Schuylkill River Trail, completing a 39-mile off-road, riverside, multi-use trail between Pottstown in Montgomery County and Southwest Philadelphia.
The Wissahickon Gateway has long been identified as a priority trail segment in the City of Philadelphia by members of the Circuit Trails Coalition. In 2022, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council published the Circuit Trails Gap Analysis, a report that results as a methodology and tool that not only identifies gaps in the Circuit Trails network by status (e.g., planned or in-progress) and county, but also ranks each segment that (once completed) would have the greatest impact on under-resourced communities that would enhance system connectivity thereby increasing people’s access to parks, water, transit, and job centers. The Gap Analysis lists the Wissahickon Gateway as the 5th priority trail gap among the 252 eligible Circuit Trails segments. The Wissahickon Gateway Trail will be an anchor for local businesses, offices, housing, public transit service, riverfront green space, and multi-use trail connections between downtown Philadelphia, the Northwest section of the city, and neighboring Montgomery County.
For the latest information on the Wissahickon Gateway Trailhead, be sure to review the Vision Plan. The next Wissahickon Gateway Trail project update meeting will be held at the Venice Island Performance Arts Center on Wednesday, February 5th from 6pm to 8pm. For more information, contact: trails@phila.gov.
The Passyunk Connection will receive a portion of the available funding by extending Schuylkill Banks to near 61st St to Passyunk Ave that will remove barriers to safe, affordable, and equitable mobility options along the Schuylkill River Trail to the communities in Southwest Philadelphia. Congratulations to Schuylkill River Development Corporation and the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Streets for their success in moving the Circuit Trails Forward in Philadelphia!
Source: Reimagine the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Additionally, the City of Philadelphia was awarded $23 million through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Program for “Reaching the Steps”, a project that will transform Philadelphia’s Eakins Oval. The project will design and construct multimodal improvements to the Ben Franklin Parkway, including the Eakins Oval and the adjacent Pennsylvania Ave. The project will include a new traffic pattern, intersection and traffic signal improvements, accessibility improvements for cyclists and pedestrians, traffic calming measures, and bicycle facilities in the outer lanes of the Parkway between 22nd St and Eakins Oval and Pennsylvania Ave. The possible strategies shown above were provided by the Reimagine the Benjamin Franklin Parkway planning team and can be accessed here for more information.
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is a founding member of the Circuit Trails Coalition and leads the movement to make every bicycle ride safe, to empower youth and adults to ride, and to foster a ridership that reflects the diversity of the region. That work is made possible by the generous support of individual members—your commitment to safer, happier, healthier days through cycling is inspiring and deeply appreciated. More info here.