At Last! The Pedestrian Swing Bridge Across the Schuylkill Is Finally Opening

News At Last! The Pedestrian Swing Bridge Across the Schuylkill Is Finally Opening Begun in 2018, the $28 million project promises to safely and accessibly connect Southwest Philly and Center City. Pedestrians and cyclists celebrate this weekend. By Courtney DuChene · 11/12/2026, 3:07 p.m. Work on the new, long-awaited swing bridge across the Schuylkill, opening Friday, November 13th. / Photograph courtesy of Schuylkill Banks Listen to the audio edition here: For years, Justin Dennis has watched cyclists, runners, and walkers on either side of the Schuylkill reach the river … only to have to turn around because they didn’t have dedicated, pedestrian trails to cross over to the other side. Though a few paths — especially along roadways like the 30th Street Bridge — exist, they often aren’t pedestrian-only. If someone felt unsafe biking or walking alongside cars, they might not want to use them. They’re also few and far between. If someone is walking in Kingsessing, they might not want to trek all the way to University City to cross a bridge. It’s often easier to turn around. “That’s the exact opposite of what we want,” says Dennis, who is the New Jersey program director for The Trust for Public Land and chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition , a group of nonprofits, foundations, agencies, and others who advocate for more bike and walking trails in the region. “We want people to be able to continue across the river and not feel like they’ve reached the end of their trip prematurely.” Soon, that’ll be a reality — at least in parts of Southwest Philadelphia. On Friday, November 13th, the Philadelphia Streets Department is re-opening the long-awaited, $28 million bridge. To celebrate, Streets and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) are hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. There will be snacks, including apple cider from Hands on Earth Orchard , a limited number of Schuylkill Crossing sweatshirts, and performances, and a blessing from local Indigenous artists. Then, this Saturday, November 14th, SRDC, Bartram’s Garden, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, WeWalk PHL, the East Coast Greenway Alliance, and The Circuit Trails Coalition are teaming up to host a community walk and bike trail tours of the trail from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “This will close a significant gap in the circuit,” Dennis says. “It will create more than nine miles of continuous trail between Bartram’s Garden and the Wissahickon Transportation Center.” While the opening festivities promise to bring folks together for a few days of fun, Bartram’s chief advancement and experience officer Caroline Winschel hopes that the bridge will prove to be a longterm connector for people in Southwest Philadelphia and Center City — something that hasn’t been there for decades. “The reason that Grays Ferry is called Grays Ferry is because there used to be a ferry boat that went across the river there hundreds of years ago, ” says  Winschel. Later, a mix of railroads, highways, and factories separated the neighborhoods, making it difficult to cross from either side — especially on foot. The bike and walking path alongside the Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge abuts a four-lane, divided highway. Cars whizz by, and pedestrians and cyclists — including Winschel, who often bikes to her job at Bartram’s — don’t feel safe. At the corner of 34th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue on the eastern side of the bridge, there’s a “ghost bike” locked to a yield sign, memorializing a cyclist who was killed there in a collision with a vehicle. Recreationalists have also expressed concerns about how well lit the trails are — especially after vandals stole the copper wire from 100 trail lights in Bartram’s Garden this past spring . “I don’t want anyone to bike over the Grays Ferry Bridge — including myself,” Winschel says. By contrast, “the swing bridge will be such a pleasant and safe and accessible experience. That’s going to be transformative for so many.” Winschel adds that city and state officials have helped Bartram’s Garden repair the damaged trail lights — and add additional safety features, so that it isn’t so easy for people to break them. The bridge will also offer easy access to nature trails, like the Schuylkill River Trail and Bartram’s Mile. But many hope it will also connect people in Southwest Philadelphia, where the poverty rate is between 40 and 50 percent , to high-paying jobs both in Center City and the new Bellwether District. “There’s a lot of opportunity for people to get to new jobs or learn about new neighborhoods,” Winschel says. “The trail will change how people experience the city.” The swing bridge isn’t the first pedestrian connector over the Schuylkill. Last year, the SRDC opened the Christian to Crescent cable bridge, linking Grays Ferry Crescent and the Woodlands. Talk of turning the old swing bridge, which was then owned by Conrail , into a pedestrian crossing began 20 years ago when former Streets Department chief engineer and Schuylkill River Development Corporation president Joe Syrnick pitched the idea to about a dozen SRDC board and committee members. It was part of a broader vision to create trails along all the Schuylkill Banks and throughout the region. Dennis’s Circuit Trails Coalition now envisions an 800-mile connected trail network spanning Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Coalition members recently won $3.3 million in grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to support six projects in Uwchlan Township, Chester County, Radnor Township, and Philadelphia. “It makes Center City and the surrounding neighborhoods speak more closely and relate more closely,” Dennis says. “There is a keen awareness of the ways that trails provide value to communities.” Read More About: Schuylkill Banks schuylkill river trail Schuylkill Trail You Might Also Like Your Suburban Ballot Questions, Explained Philly Homeowners Have More Equity Than They Did Five Years Ago. Now What? Analog Your Life: A Philadelphian’s Guide