New $48M pedestrian bridge connects Schuylkill Banks in Center City to Grays Ferry

Runners, walkers, and cyclists heading south along Schuylkill Banks will no longer be forced to double back when they reach a locked gate near Christian Street.

Starting Saturday, the gate will be gone, opening the paved path to a new trail section crowned by the two towers of a cable-stayed, pedestrian-only bridge. Farther down, a newly illuminated tunnel cuts beneath the 34th Street Bridge.

The $48 million Christian to Crescent Trail Connector stretches 2,800 feet, including the 650-foot bridge with its commanding river view.

The long-anticipated link erases a gap in Schuylkill Banks — that portion of the Schuylkill River Trail threading from Center City through South Philadelphia.

Developed by the Philadelphia Department of Streets and the Schuylkill River Development Corp., the connector carves a fresh route past a defunct coal tower and rail corridor that once obstructed access.

The segment includes lighting, benches, trash cans, and newly planted trees and perennials. It allows trail users to pass through the tunnel to continue onto the Grays Ferry Crescent segment of trail.

Connor and Natalie Lloyd, with their daughter, Naomi, 1¾ years old, of Fitler Square, were among the first to cross the just-completed bridge during a preview tour Tuesday. Caulk was still curing on the bridge’s expansion joints, and users were asked not to step on it.

“We’re big users of the Schuylkill Banks,” Connor Lloyd said while overlooking the river. “This is awesome. We love it. And we love to see the trail grow.”

A celebration to mark the opening of the connector is scheduled for Saturday.

Joe Syrnick, executive director of the nonprofit Schuylkill River Development Corp., led the tour.

“The trail ended here for a long time,” Syrnick said. “It had to go out into the river because of that coal tower.”

After someone congratulated Syrnick on the connector, he added with a smile: “It’s amazing what $48 million can do.”

The connector was funded by grants from multiple Pennsylvania agencies, the city, and William Penn Foundation.

The bridge is the centerpiece of the new segment. Tyler Barile, assistant chief construction engineer with the city’s streets department, said the bridge is the first of its kind in Philadelphia, and only the second in Pennsylvania.

Barile said the bridge is supported by steel cables strung in a fan and woven-harp configuration that support the deck.

“It’s very unique,” Barile said.

The towers are 165 feet high, supported by 56 cables. Each cable supports 275,000 pounds. The bridge is anchored by nine caissons set 65 feet into the bedrock.

Overall, the new connector allows for an unbroken 2.5-mile stretch from Fairmount Dam to the Gray’s Ferry Crescent trail segment, which follows the shape of the riverbank to Wharton Street.

The ultimate vision for Schuylkill Banks is for it to run eight miles from the Fairmount Dam to Fort Mifflin. It is being built in segments as money and land are acquired.

A swing bridge, now under construction, will eventually allow people to cross the river onto the Bartram’s Mile Trail on the west bank. That bridge could open by the end of the year.

Garth and Terry Connor, who live in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, have been longtime supporters of the trail.

“This has been years in the making,” Garth Connor said of the new segment.

He noted there was initial resistance to the river trail, with some residents believing it would provide a path for criminals.

“People said this is going to ruin the neighborhood,” he said. “In reality, you know what happened? Homes increased in value.”