The pivotal project, which combines environmental conservation with visitor accessibility and enjoyment, is FOW’s largest capital investment to date and the pinnacle of the organization’s 100th anniversary celebration.
FOW Executive Director Ruffian Tittmann dedicated the new footbridge as Lida Way, in honor of naming donors Linda and David Glickstein, and in tribute to FOW’s more than 2,000 volunteers.
In congratulating Tittmann and FOW, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson said, “PPR is lucky to have FOW as a partner for your leadership, tenacity, and use of resources to clean and green this majestic watershed park, one of the shining assets of our park system, and for your service over the past 100 years.”
Other speakers at the event, who acknowledged the importance of partnership and community commitment in undertaking such projects, included Jeanne Barrett Ortiz, Southeast Regional Advisor for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Jessica Brooks, assistant deputy commissioner of the Philadelphia Water Department; Rep. Tarik Kahn, and Garrett Trego, FOW board president.
“FOW is all about maintaining balance, and this project is a perfect example of that,” said Trego. “It respects our beautiful park, and solves needs in terms of stormwater management, stream restoration, pedestrian access, and transportation. We’ve accomplished these goals through an incredibly thoughtful, and well-planned and artfully executed project.”
The ambitious undertaking consisted of two main phases.
The first phase remediated years of worsening storm-induced erosion on both sides of Valley Green Run, which caused both the streambank and original wooden boardwalk to collapse in 2014, forcing pedestrians to navigate the narrow road as they headed down to the park.
Now stable, the stream channel and streambank will slow the erosive impacts of stormflow, keep sediment from being discharged to Wissahickon Creek, (which provides drinking water for a third of Philadelphians), and restore a riparian buffer with over 200 Philadelphia native woody plants.
The project’s second phase created a 200-foot elevated galvanized footbridge that will now safely move visitors off Valley Green Road as they approach the Valley Green area, the most visited area of the park.
The signature feature is an observation platform that gives visitors an expanded view of the Wissahickon’s schist outcrops and historic Valley Green Bridge as it welcomes them to the park’s unofficial “front door.”
The final component of the project - the “North Approach" - located just north of the pedestrian bridge entrance, includes the natural-style stream restoration and a new inlaid stone trailhead feature that can retain the hillside, resiliently convey stormwater, and manage high volumes of park visitors through the area.
The project was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth Financing Authority, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, and the Philadelphia Water Department.
Additionally, more than $1.3 million was contributed by a combination of private foundations and individual donors - the project’s largest single funding source.
The project team consisted of Skelly and Loy, a Terracon Company, general contractor and streambank restoration designer; CVMNEXT Construction, design/builder on the pedestrian bridge; Resource Restoration Group, builder for the stream restoration and North Approach elements; and Krieger Architects, pedestrian bridge design architect and project architect for donor recognition.
Click Here for opportunities to name planks on the new walkway.
Visit the Friends of the Wissahickon website to learn more about programs, initiatives, upcoming events and how you can get involved.
(Photo: Garrett Trego, FOW board president; Rep. Tarik Kahn; Jessica Brooks, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Philadelphia Water Department; David and Linda Glickstein, bridge naming donors; Jeanne Barrett Ortiz, southeast regional advisor, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Ruffian Tittmann, FOW executive director, and Susan Slawson, commissioner, Philadelphia Parks & Recreations.)
Related Articles This Week - Watersheds:
-- Chesapeake Bay Executive Council, Including Gov. Shapiro Announce Plans To Revise Watershed Agreement, Form New Agricultural Advisory Committee [PaEN]
-- DEP Awards $24 Million In Grants To Support County Clean Water Projects To Improve Water Quality In Chesapeake Bay Watershed [PaEN]
-- Coalition For The Delaware River Watershed, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Announce $17 Million In Grants To Enhance The Health Of The Delaware River Watershed [PaEN]
-- PA Sea Grant Now Accepting Research Proposals To Enhance Use, Conservation Of PA's Coastal, Watershed And Great Lakes Resources; Jan. 15 Webinar [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Center For Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Hosts Jan. 22 Webinar On Safeguarding Private Drinking Water Sources [PaEN]
-- USGS PA Water Science Center Fall Newsletter: Pesticide Sampling; Philadelphia Water Resources Tool; Sampling For PFAS Contamination; Addressing Microplastics Science Gaps [PaEN]
-- Vote Now For Pennsylvania's 2025 River Of The Year Among 3 Finalists-- Delaware River, Perkiomen Creek, Youghiogheny River [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Joins Governors In Renewed Commitment To Chesapeake Bay Cleanup
-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster Conservation District Receives $5.9 Million For Chesapeake Bay Watershed Pollution Reduction
-- Altoona Mirror: Mid-State Counties Receive Funds To Fight Pollution Of Chesapeake Bay
-- Lancaster Farming: New Ag Committee To Advise Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Program
-- WHYY: Conservationists Celebrate More Than 200 Federally Funded Projects To Restore Waterways In Delaware Watershed
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Study Points To Farmland Treated With Biosolids As Possible Source Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Fish
-- Center For Biological Diversity: Lawsuit Launched To Cleanup Coal Ash Storage Pond At Talen Energy Brunner Island Power Plant Along The Susquehanna River In York County
-- USDA Invests $9.1 Million In Sewage Facility Upgrades In Dauphin, Westmoreland Counties
-- Partnership For The Delaware Estuary: Gardening For Clean Water Newsletter For Habitat Owners, Caretakers
[Posted: December 11, 2024] PA Environment Digest
