Bensalem Gets $350K For Greenway Trails

BENSALEM, PA — Officials in Bensalem have gotten some help in getting residents out and on their feet.

Last week, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission approved a $350,000 grant for work on multiple segments of the Bensalem Greenway trail. The grant was part of nearly $3.7 million the commission awarded for 22 trail projects in greater Philadelphia.

The grant may be used for design and construction, as well as feasibility studies and completing gaps in existing trails.

The idea, the DVRPC says, is to connect more people to jobs, shopping destinations, outdoor recreation, public transportation, and other neighborhoods.

"These trail projects continue our commitment to completing the vision of the Circuit, providing opportunities to travel throughout the region without a car which reduces congestion, improves air quality and contributes to a healthy lifestyle," said Barry Seymour, DVRPC's executive director.

Greater Philadelphia is building the Circuit Trails, an 800-plus mile network of multi-use trails spanning the metropolitan region. Currently, about 332 miles of this network are complete, 74 miles are in progress, and 408 miles are in some stage of planning.

In 2017, Bensalem's township council pledged to complete 13.5 miles worth of trail to run from Philadelphia to Bristol Township. It will become part of the East Coast Greenway, a 2,900-mile trail from Maine to the Florida Keys.

They aim to have the Bensalem section complete by 2025.