Viaduct Rail Park Project May Break Ground This Spring

Renderings by Bryan Hanes Studio

We come bearing good news while crossing our fingers: If all goes according to plan, phase 1 of the Viaduct Rail Park project could begin as early as spring 2016, according to the Center City District (CCD), which is managing the project. Of course, that's assuming the CCD and Friends of the Rail Park can drum up enough funding for the phase, which will turn a quarter-mile stretch of the abandoned Reading Viaduct rail line into an elevated greenway. (The total park will be 3-miles long.) According to a column published in the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday, the project has already raised $5.1 million of the $9.6 million needed to begin construction. The problem? The other $3.5 million they're waiting on is from the state's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which is held up in the state budget. Perhaps that's why the CCD announced today that the Bacon Brothers (of Philly natives Michael and actor Kevin Bacon) will be hosting a special benefit concert this February at Union Transfer to raise funds for the Viaduct Rail Park. Want to help push this park along? Tickets start at $35.

·Decay is the allure on Philly's abandoned railroad [PI]
·Rail Park Phase 1 [Bryan Hanes]