Politics & Government
Cross County Trail Gets $200K For Extension To Wissahickon
The funds will be used to help connect the Cross County Trail to the Green Ribbon Trail and Forbidden Drive.
ERDENHEIM — The state is investing $350,000 in two key trail projects in Montgomery County, Gov. Wolf's office announced this week.
The projects will extend the Cross County Trail by a mile in Whitemarsh Township, and the Tookany Creek Trail in Cheltenham by three quarters of a mile.
“Local parks and trails improve the everyday lives of people of all places, ages, and backgrounds, while serving as a primary venue for outdoor recreation for Pennsylvanians," Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a statement.
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Cross County Trail
The Cross County Trail will receive $200,000 to build a multi-use, mile-long trail on Erdenheim Farm, including retaining walls, drainage features, benches, and planting of more than 110 trees and shrubs, officials said.
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The Cross County Trail currently runs for three miles from the Schuylkill River Trail in Conshohocken, past Chemical Road and up to Germantown Pike in Plymouth Meeting.
When complete, this extension will significantly narrow the gap between Erdenheim and the rest of the Cross County Trail. From Erdeheim, trail users can proceed north on the Wissahickon Green Ribbon Trail to North Wales, or southeast to Forbidden Drive in Philadelphia.
Tookany Creek Trail
Cheltenham, meanwhile, will get $150,00 for a 10-foot wide paved extension of Tookany Creek Trail between Harrison Ave. and New Second Street, at Gimbel Field.
The state points to several interconnected benefits of these projects, including improved natural resources, community revitalization, and the health and well-being of residents through additional recreation opportunities.
"We are happy to assist these communities in Montgomery County create spaces where people can walk a trail, play outdoors, and enjoy nature close-to-home," Dunn added.
Outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania generates $29.1 billion in consumer spending and supports 251,000 jobs, according to statistics from the DCNR.
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