Proposed 10-acre Bridesburg park moves forward with $2 million grant

A planned 10-acre park on the Bridesburg riverfront, which has been in the works for years, is moving along thanks in part to a recent $2 million grant.

The grant was awarded by the William Penn Foundation to the Riverfront North Partnership this month. Part of the grant will be used to create a community advisory panel to get residents active in the construction and direction of the park, and the remainder will go toward the total $4.7 million cost of the park’s first phase.

It’s a big step forward for the project, which has been in the works since 2015. Plans call for terraced seating, event space, and play areas, and parking, and the whole space will be connected to the 11-mile stretch of trails and parks along the Delaware River.

The project is currently in its final design stages with Langan Engineering, but the city and the Parks and Recreation department expect to start initiating phase one this year. The first step in that phase will include the creation of the advisory panel to look at how other urban riverfront parks came to be, and develop an activity plan for the first season of the park.

However, construction on the park itself can’t begin until they receive the remainder of the funding, according to a representative from Riverfront North Partnership. They hope to wrap up construction on the first phase in 2021.

• Bridesburg Park Master Plan Features Meadows, Rain Garden, & Boardwalk [Curbed Philly]
• Plans for 10-acre riverfront park in Bridesburg move forward [Curbed Philly]