Boardwalk

Project Description

The land between the railroad tracks and the river becomes too narrow to continue the Schuylkill River Trail southward on land past Locust Street. To solve this problem, the City of Philadelphia and SRDC built a 2,000 foot long concrete structure running parallel to the eastern shore of the river from Locust Street to the new stairtower on the south side of the South Street Bridge.

A 460’ long ramp also links the boardwalk to the north side of the South Street Bridge, providing ADA access and an easier connection for people with bicycles. This project provides an important link to the Schuylkill River Trail and Center City from University City and West Philadelphia.

The ramp and boardwalk are designed to accommodate emergency and maintenance vehicles. The boardwalk’s 15’ wide pathway is supplemented by four widened overlooks that allow people to rest and enjoy the views along the boardwalk without blocking the trail.

The Boardwalk opened in October of 2014.

Project Team

Design and engineering: URS, Pennoni Associates and CH Planning

Ramp design: Michael Baker Engineers

Contractor: Crossing Construction

Funders: Transportation Improvements Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, and other funding from FHWA, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia