The Center City District (CCD) announced Thursday that it has been awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the redevelopment of the Rail Park, extending from Vine Street to Fairmount Avenue.
The $2 million grant was awarded through the Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
“This $2 million grant represents a crucial step forward in converting a deteriorating industrial infrastructure into a vibrant public space, providing an expanded amenity for four adjacent Philadelphia neighborhoods,” Center City District Board Chair Paul R. Levy said in a statement. “We’re deeply grateful for the steadfast support from Congressman Boyle, the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, Callowhill Neighbors Association, Friends of the Rail Park, West Poplar Neighbors, the 14th Ward RCO and City Councilmember Mark Squilla.”
In 2018, the CCD completed the construction of the first phase of the redevelopment project, which was designed to transform the defunct Reading Railroad viaduct into the Rail Park. The park first opened to the public on June 14, 2018, and is now maintained by the CCD in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation.
The “Viaduct Greenway,” the Rail Park’s second phase of redevelopment, will see the conversion of an abandoned railroad viaduct that runs from Vine Street to Fairmount Avenue. The viaduct will be transformed into an elevated park, effectively linking Chinatown and Northern Liberties through an active transportation trail.
This phase will also include improvements to the work of the first phase of the Rail Park at Callowhill Street and will include environmental remediation, structural repairs, a linear trail with basic lighting and safety elements, and multiple points of access with more amenities. Design is also underway to connect this to the Vine Street “Stitch” that will cover a portion of Interstate 676.
According to the CCD, the opportunity exists to add residential and light commercial development due to much of the land around the Viaduct Greenway remaining vacant and undeveloped. With that development comes the hope of creating a “unique, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood that supports the aspirations of the city’s Chinatown, Callowhill, West Poplar and East Poplar communities.”
For more information on the continued redevelopment of the Rail Park, visit therailpark.org
