New trail will safely connect Tacony Creek Park at Roosevelt Boulevard

Come early next year, two halves of the Tacony Creek Park will finally be connected by a safer pedestrian trail after being separated for decades by Roosevelt Boulevard.

The city broke ground on phase 2 of the Tacony Creek Trail on Thursday morning. The 0.3-mile trail will connect the north and south sections of the 300-acre park, which has long been divided by the multi-lane and dangerous Roosevelt Boulevard.

The trail will be located along the Tacony Creek, then continue down under the Roosevelt Boulevard overpass so that hikers and cyclists will no longer have to cross the road.

“Tacony Creek Park is at the center of some of the most ethnically diverse and economically challenged neighborhoods in Philadelphia,” said Julie Slavet, executive director of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Inc., in a statement.

“Roosevelt Boulevard is a serious barrier that creates division and limits access for these communities. To have a safe way to travel within the park is priceless for our neighbors.”

Courtesy of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department

The trail follows phase 1, which was completed in 2013. Another portion of the trail in the northern section dates back to the 1970s. When it opens, the whole trail will stretch 3.2 miles, not only creating a safer connection, but also closing a gap on the Circuit Trails and connect to the East Coast Greenway.

Here’s a map of the whole trail:

Courtesy of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department