Heads up! Construction has begun on the final segments of the Delaware River Trail -- the eastside of Columbus Boulevard between Christian Street and Washington Avenue. Road work and detours will continue for two months.
The updates will take a month, but the finished trail will feature new curb ramps, as well as a new pedestrian refuge island on Columbus Boulevard; new pavement markings that will shorten the pedestrian crosswalk on this section of the boulevard, as well as a raised table featuring high visibility markings near the U.S. Coast Guard driveway.
Wait! It gets better. On the southeast corner of Washington Avenue and Columbus Boulevard, a new, wider, and safer plaza will connect with the off-road section of the trail heading south to Pier 70. When completed, cyclists, pedestrians, joggers, and strollers will have 3.2 miles of off-road trail to enjoy.
To accommodate the space needed for the new trail, trees have been removed. But have no fear, Philly, because more than 300 trees will be planted along the trail. While we’re striving to save as many trees as possible, the size of some trees and their difficult locations in undersized tree pits will make saving them very difficult. We are committed to planting the same number of trees we remove and will be looking to plant more mature trees with broader canopies.
Super excited about these improvements? We knew you would be. Let us know by emailing us your comments and questions at trail@drwc.org or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using the hashtag #DelawareRiverTrail.
