The next phase of The Rail Park Phase, termed the Viaduct Greenway, will convert an abandoned railroad viaduct, 6.8 acres of brownfields that run for 6/10th of a mile from Vine Street to Fairmount Avenue, into an elevated park that links diverse neighborhoods together with an active transportation trail. Initial improvements will include environmental remediation, structural repairs, a linear trail with basic lighting and safety elements and multiple points of access. Future public space amenities will be designed in partnership with adjacent community groups. The new public park will connect to Phase I of The Rail Park at Callowhill Street and will provide open space for recreation and exercise for thousands of nearby residents, while the trail will be a low-cost, low-emissions transportation alternative for trips to schools, healthcare facilities, grocery stores, and employment opportunities, reducing the number of single-occupancy vehicle trips to everyday destinations.
The viaduct was built in the 1890s to carry passenger and freight trains into Center City and consists of steel structures, elevated filled areas and arched masonry bridges that provide spectacular views of the city. The last train traveled its rails in 1984 and the viaduct was abandoned to weeds and disrepair. The Center City District (CCD) was drawn to the project in part because of the success of other rail parks that fashioned new green and community gathering spaces from derelict tracks in cities such as New York, Chicago and Atlanta.
The CCD completed the transformation of Phase 1 of The Rail Park in 2018. Building on that success, the CCD entered into a development agreement with the City of Philadelphia and has engaged Urban Engineers and Studio I Bryan Hanes to lead engineering and landscape design for the project. CCD has also retained Connect the Dots Insights to lead a community engagement process and will be presenting conceptual plans for the Viaduct Greenway to gain valuable input from neighbors at public meetings as well as through online and intercept surveys.
With much of the land around the Viaduct Greenway remaining vacant and undeveloped, the opportunity exists to add residential and light commercial development and to create a unique, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood that supports the aspirations of the Chinatown, Callowhill, West Poplar and East Poplar communities.
The CCD has committed to raise all the funds to complete the renovation of the Viaduct Greenway with initial work supported by a generous grant from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development - Industrial sites Reuse Program. To help support this important project, please consider donating to the CCD Foundation.
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