Elevated park planned for old Philadelphia viaduct faces hurdles

The Center City District is full steam ahead in its plans to expand Philadelphia's elevated park atop an unused railroad trestle, looking to start construction next year.

Why it matters: The Viaduct Greenway would create a cool new public park and trigger investment along a stretch of North Philly plagued by blight, underdevelopment and a lack of green space. But funding for the project still isn't in place.

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State of play: Paul Levy, who heads the downtown development nonprofit Center City District, tells Axios he aims to finalize plans by March to transform much of the 1890s railway viaduct into a park, and break ground on the project later that year.

• The district is leading the effort and would manage the park.
• In recent months, Levy's been working with community groups to collect resident feedback about the project and desired amenities, including pickleball courts, a children's area and a beach.

Courtesy of Center City District/Studio Bryan Hanes

Context: The greenway would connect to the existing Rail Park , which the district helped open in 2018.

• The elevated railway encompasses nearly 7 acres over about 1,100 yards from Vine Street to Fairmount Avenue.

What he's saying: The elevated park could become a "central civic asset and a connecting path for multiple, very diverse neighborhoods," Levy said.

Reality check: The project faces big hurdles.

• California-based Reading International , an entertainment and real estate company, still owns the elevated railway.
• Levy is in negotiations with Reading, calling on the company to donate the viaduct to the city for the project.
• A spokesperson for Reading did not return Axios' requests for comment.

Plus: The district is banking on a collection of state and federal grants as well as fundraising to pay for the park.

• The determination of those grants should be known by the end of the year.

The intrigue: The city could condemn the railway and take ownership of the property that's become an eyesore of illegal dumping and overgrown weeds since it was discontinued in the 1980s.

• City spokesperson Bruce Bohri tells Axios such a move is not under consideration.

Zoom in: Levy is pursuing a phased, cost-conscious plan, with the initial work estimated to run around $60 million-$65 million.

• This would cover remediating and repairing the full length of the railway and creating a base walking and biking trail by 2026.
• About half the viaduct would remain off limits to the public to be developed in later phases, depending on funding.

Two other proposals cost as much as $86 million and $110 million and could take 3-5 years and 5-10 years to complete respectively.

• They would develop larger sections of the railway or the full length and include more amenities.

1 cool thing: The elevated park has the potential to connect to the forthcoming Chinatown Stitch , which will cap part of the Vine Street Expressway.

• Construction for that project is slated for 2027.

Courtesy of Center City District/Studio Bryan Hanes

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