Rail Park On Schedule to FINALLY Open!

I think this is the third time I have written a headline about Rail Park opening, but this time it’s serious… there’s an opening date for the raised park that Philadelphia has been anticipating for years.

Rail Park is now scheduled to open in early June.

The park was already supposed to be open by now, but city engineers called into question the structural integrity of a railroad bridge that is over 100 years old. The bridge is of tremendous importance to the project, as it will form the entrance to the Rail Park which is being constructed on the former Reading Railroad viaduct in Callowhill.

The Center City District, after some number-crunching, elected to renovate the bridge instead of replacing it. The initial concerns about rust and corrosion on the bridge’s structure led to concerns that the bridge would have to be rebuilt. After a thorough investigation, however, the city’s design and engineering team, Urban Engineers, came to the conclusion that the stone and steel structure would be safe for pedestrian traffic if additional supports are constructed.

According to the Philadelphia Voice: “The first phase of the Rail Park will stretch a quarter-mile from Broad and Noble streets to the 1000 block of Callowhill Street. The park, modeled after New York City’s High Line, will span 25,000 square feet. Eventually, the Center City District intends to extend the segment by adding another mile along the viaduct to Fairmount Avenue and Ninth Street. At its grandest vision, the park could extend westward through a below-street-level stretch known as The Viaduct and an underground stretch known as the Tunnel.”

The first stage of the Rail Park construction took place in October 2016, and since then volunteers have planted numerous shade trees and other forms of landscaping. In the meantime, the construction firm behind Rail Park has been installing benches, platforms, railways, and lighting for the park.

Rail Park is now currently on schedule to open in early June.