South Philly Review

With the early afternoon sun beginning to blaze, a collection of South Philadelphia residents, bicycle enthusiasts and City representatives heard Mayor Michael Nutter reveal another component of the city’s quest for sustainability.

Continuing his undertaking to improve Philadelphia’s environmental prowess, Nutter, last Thursday, declared the Delaware River Trail, a multi-use recreational path starting at Pier 64, as a great achievement for the city. It completes the first phase of a project that will eventually stretch six miles and transform the waterfront from an underappreciated stretch to a maximized expanse.

“This trail symbolizes our reclaiming the waterfront for the future,” Nutter, donning a “Delaware River Trail” T-shirt over the customary duo of a dress shirt and a tie, said.

As a facet of Nutter’s Greenworks Philadelphia plan to create the nation’s greenest city, the trail will help the waterfront to “become one of the best waterfronts in the country,” Nutter said.

Making it just that has fascinated Tom Corcoran, president of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. (DRWC) that seeks to add recreational, cultural and commercial activities for Philadelphia residents and visitors. Last week brought the first significant piece of Corcoran’s mission to fruition.

The trail winds from the Pier 70 shopping center to Washington Avenue. Its boundaries will eventually extend to Allegheny Avenue and already allow connections to the Schuylkill River Trail courtesy of Center City’s bike lanes on Pine and Spruce streets.

A host of sources, including the DRWC, funded the $677,000 project, which comprised the remarking and widening of nearly 0.85 miles of existing trail and the addition of a half mile of new asphalt. Cleaning up and trimming the trail improves the view of the waterfront while new fencing, gates and custom trail signage elevate the trail’s aesthetics.

It’s open to the public from dawn to dusk, seven days a week, weather permitting. Personnel from the DRWC will patrol the area.
The Center City District oversaw the trail’s design and construction, which occurred last fall, but property matters delayed the opening, Corcoran said. The DRWC had to obtain an easement, the right to use the real property of another without possessing it, from the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust and Liberty Landing — a condominium tower project.

Paul Levy, the president and chief executive officer of the district, spoke of his belief in reviving the waterfront, which long ago parted with its heyday.

“Unless people are between at least 60 and 70 years old, they have not seen the true waterfront,” he said.

The old waterfront included what Nutter, Corcoran, Levy and 1st District Councilman Frank DiCicco want the new rendition to emulate and surpass eventually, namely, opportunity. Years of neglect have deterred the area from actualizing its potential.

DiCicco said he was thrilled to see “something neat on this grassy piece of land” and  commended Penn Praxis, a division of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, for being persistent in its commitment to community development.

“Their sticktuitiveness, if you will, is part of what makes today possible,”DiCicco said.

Through projects such as the new trail, Nutter and City officials are seeking to make it so that all of Philadelphia’s residents have recreational opportunities within ten minutes of their residences. The trail will guarantee that 75 percent of the city’s inhabitants will be so fortunate, Nutter said.

The trail’s current boundaries mean that bicycling lovers will likely reap the earliest rewards.

Also in attendance were two representatives from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. In their roles as Bicycle Ambassadors, Brian Davis, 23, and Celia Marraro, 26, educate adult bicyclists on safety and motorists on sharing the road. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the ambassadors led a small group of cyclists and pedestrians along the open road.

“Countless people have told me that bikers need more places to ride,” Davis, a West Philadelphia resident, said. “This trail represents how serious and committed the city is to making a bike-friendly Philadelphia. Philadelphia is like a pearl that needs to be cleaned and polished so its occupants can see it shine.”

Marraro, who resides in Center City, loves helping Philadelphia to retrieve its luster. Through her outreach with the public, she hopes to make Philadelphia more welcoming for all cyclists.

Of their experience on the 1.3-mile tract, Davis and Marraro had nothing but praise to proffer.