This September, the Bicycle Coalition had the opportunity to attend the 2026 Eastern Pennsylvania Greenways and Trails Summit in Bethlehem, PA. The summit is led by the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and is made possible thanks to WeConservePA, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Pennsylvania Recreational Trails Program, and their sponsors. The summit provides the Coalition with an opportunity to network with trail, greenway, and community leaders together in Historic Bethlehem to get inspired by new ideas and best practices that we can bring back to the Greater Philadelphia region for our advocacy work to advance the Circuit Trails network.
Excuse the wrinkled paper, this came along for the tour and was referred to by the ride leader along the way.
The summit offered a variety of mobile tours, one of which that we had the opportunity to participate in was the Bethlehem Complete Streets Tour led by Corey Gray with the City of Bethlehem. Participants learned how Bethlehem is applying Complete Streets principles and a Safe System approach to integrate trails more fully into the City’s transportation network. The discussion highlighted efforts to improve mobility for people of all ages and abilities while addressing key “last mile” connections between communities and regional trails. The guided bike tour through Bethlehem, gave participants the opportunity to see recent improvements firsthand, examine ongoing challenges, and learn about future projects. By combining planning, infrastructure improvements, and on-the-ground experience, the tour demonstrated how Bethlehem is working to create a more connected and accessible transportation network for residents and visitors alike.
We’d like to thank the event organizers for putting on another wonderful Greenways and Trails Summit and encourage anyone who is interested in these developments to stay in the know by following the D&L National Heritage Corridor’s newsletter for upcoming opportunities to learn from our partners throughout Eastern Pennsylvania.
Upon our return from Bethlehem, there was much to celebrate for our very own Circuit Trails network with more to come this fall, including the Schuylkill Banks Swing Bridge and the Darby Creek Trail!
Schuylkill River Trail – Route 422 Bridge to Industrial Highway
Photo Credit: Daniel Paschall
Photo Credit: Daniel Paschall
In Montgomery County, a formal ribbon-cutting was held on September 29th to celebrate the completion of the Schuylkill River Trail connection between Industrial Highway and the Route 422 bridge near Pottstown. With the completion of this segment, the Schuylkill River Trail now extends nearly 70 miles, from the recently completed Christian to Crescent portion of Schuylkill Banks in southwest Philadelphia to Riverfront Park in the City of Reading. Participants heard from many of the region’s elected officials including Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, Chester County Commissioner Joshua Maxwell, Delaware County Councilmember Elaine Schaefer, and U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean.
Schuylkill River Trail – Schuylkill Banks – Gray’s Ferry Swing Bridge
photo by Uma McGuire
In Philadelphia, the Bicycle Coalition had the opportunity to participate in the Bartram’s Garden and Swing Bridge Walking Tour on October 1st led by the Streets Department and DVRPC with support provided by We Walk PHL’s walk leaders. The tour included a guided walk from Bartram’s Garden to the Swing Bridge to learn about its features and history, the funding and regional planning to make it possible, and the broader connections the Swing Bridge brings to the Circuit Trails network and future trail development work in the City of Philadelphia.
Some project updates:
- The engineering team has been firing up machinery testing and calibrating the swinging mechanism of the bridge and as of the week of September 25th, it’s moving as planned.
- The next weeks will be spent doing final coats of paints on bridge rivets, pouring final concrete to level the trail, and final bits of landscaping.
- Although there is no day or month identified, the engineering team reports being weeks away from bridge opening.
Participants also heard from the Bicycle Coalition’s very own Swing Bridge Ambassador, Mable, who gave an overview of the programming we offer through the Bartram’s Garden Bike Hub and the grassroots organizing Mable leads to engage residents throughout southwest Philadelphia with the many programs, amenities and miles of Circuit Trails that are available to them in their backyard.
Darby Creek Trail Extension to Merry Place
Coming up next, in Haverford Township in Delaware County, the celebration of a new segment of the Darby Creek Trail will be held on October 10th from 11AM to 12:30PM at Merry Place Park (600 Glendale Road, Havertown) for the completion of the Darby Creek Trail Extension project. The Darby Creek Trail dates to 2013, when Haverford Township completed the first paved segment of what would become the heart of the trail — a path linking Merry Place at Glendale Park to the public works yard near Old West Chester Pike and Hilltop Road. In the years that followed, the Township worked to extend that founding vision southward. This trailhead at Jack McDonald Field marks a significant milestone in that effort: the trail now runs continuously from this point, through Merry Place, to the public works yard — uniting more than a decade of planning, land acquisition, and construction into a single route along the creek. The Darby Creek Trail Master plan envisions this trail one day extending north to Haverford Reserve, continuing the legacy begun here. Note: Parking will be at a premium, so they recommend attendees park at McDonald Field and walk to Merry Place. Or bike!
Stay tuned for more updates along the Circuit Trails network by subscribing to the newsletter. See you on the trails!
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. Join or renew to continue that advocacy and education work throughout the region. More info here.