Have you visited the Wissahickon Valley within Fairmount Park?
There are beautiful nature trails along the Wissahickon Creek. Valley Green Run is a tributary of the Wissahickon Creek. There’s a parking lot which provides pedestrian access to the Valley Green Inn and the popular hiking and biking trail known as Forbidden Drive. These points were previously accessed via a wooden boardwalk that fell apart and collapsed…troubling the waters and disrupting the flow of foot traffic.
Due to its deterioration, the existing footbridge was no longer safe or functional for pedestrians, so a new bridge was needed for access and connectivity along the hiking trails.
Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW), a nonprofit organization that maintains trails, plants trees, restores streams, and generally keeps the park healthy for public use, turned to the team of CVM Structural Engineers and Krieger Architects to redesign a new bridge. Environmental engineers Skelly & Loy are overseeing the bridge project and restoring the stream bed.
How do you restore access and connectivity along a hiking trail?
Our zigzagging bridge design crosses the creek twice, uniquely connecting the hiking trails on both sides.
The bridge is made of steel with black locust decking. A lookout of steel grating allows hikers to stand directly over the stream and see the rushing creek beneath their feet. The lookout provides beautiful views of the scenic stream from above as part of the immersive bridge experience.
Benches made out of boulders provide seating connected to the natural environment. Paving stones will be engraved with the names of funders where supporters of the project will be acknowledged.
With this enhanced experience of taking in the views and surroundings from the lookout point, the bridge at Valley Green Run Creek can remain intact and usable for generations to come.
For additional information about the reopening of the pedestrian bridge, stroll along to these recent articles from The Philadelphia Inquirer & Billy Penn at WHYY to learn more.