Wissahickon Trail bridges connecting Lincoln Drive, Forbidden Drive reopen following completion of restoration
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Wissahickon Trail in Fairmount Park is now fully reopened to the public. The city just completed some work on bridges to make the trails safer.
"It's back and better than ever," Executive director of the Friends of the Wissahickon Ruffian Tittmann said.
After two years of construction, the bridges along the Wissahickon trail are back open, but they're a little too loud for Florenzia Kanthor.
"The bridge is clinky, but I don't like how it's clinky," Kanthor said.
The bridges cross over and go along the Wissahickon creek, near Forbidden Drive.
"We saw through COVID the important of our trail network and our parks and natural areas like the Wissahickon," Philadelphia Parks and Recs' Patrick Morgan said.
The trails first opened in 1980 but had fallen into disrepair. Parks and Rec spent $1.2 million resurfacing them and adding supports underneath.
The work was slowed down by COVID, Hurricane Ida and supply chain issues.
The bridges and trails connect Mt. Airy with Center City which is a major commuter route and with them all back open, it keeps bikers off of Lincoln Drive.
"I have seen people on Lincoln Drive and that is scary," Burgandy Holiday said. "It's scary to be a pedestrian to be a bicyclist or a car on Lincoln Drive."
Another trail user says having the trail open "makes all the difference in the world."