North End Lower Trail Rehab

SRDC has rehabilitated approximately 200 feet of the Schuylkill Banks North End Lower Trail. The Lower Trail is an offshoot of the main Schuylkill Trail, near the tidal beach between Vine Street and the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive entrance.

Rehabilitation included the installment of gabion baskets beneath the trail, a new catch basin and inlet grate, and native landscaping on the lower bank to control erosion and better manage stormwater runoff. The Lower Trail is covered with a new layer of gravel, making it level and easier to use.

The Lower Trail Rehabilitation was partially funded by the PECO Green Region Grant Program. Design and engineering was performed by Michael Baker Engineers. The contractor was Mark Shablin Landscape Contracting, LLC. This project was completed in November 2012. 

UPDATE - 7/27/2018 

Additional gabion baskets are being added to the Lower Trail to help restablize a section that has seen a significant amount of erosion. These tiered, rock-filled  baskets allow the river's tide to wash up on the shoreline while keeping soil in place. Vegetation can also grow out of the baskets, creating additional stability to the riverbank while filtering nonpoint source pollution from stormwater runoff.