While the Crow Creek Trail has been open since April 2022, a crowd gathered for a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony that provided the opportunity to thank participants and celebrate the completion of the Trail Project. Tina Garzillo, Township Supervisor Chairperson, delivered a message that included a summary of the Project that has been in the works since 2005, and an acknowledgment of the important roles of Township Parks and Recreation, Citizen Boards, the School District, the Civil Engineering and Construction Companies, and the Township’s State Representatives and elected officials. Pennsylvania Representative Tim Briggs also delivered remarks and noted how very amazing and complex the Crow Creek Trail Project was. Multiple pedi-bike studies and surveys of residents and businesses confirmed strong support for a trail that would connect the Township.
On hand to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony were Citizen Board Members Barley Van Clief, Mary Ann Ahearn, Mark Vondra, Ross Bickhart of Gilmore & Associates Civil Engineering, Jim Kenney of James Kenney Excavating and Paving, Bob Malkowski, UMASD Director of Operations, PA Representative Tim Briggs, Township Manager Tony Hamaday and Supervisors Greg Waks, Greg Philips, Carole Kenney, and Tina Garzillo.
ABOUT THE CROW CREEK TRAIL
The Crow Creek Trail is designed as a multi-use trail running along the Crow Creek corridor. This trail connects multiple township assets starting at Walker Park, connecting the Upper Merion High School and Middle School complex and ties directly into a portion of the Schuylkill River West Trail that currently connects Bob Case and Heuser Park.
This new trail provides for a continuous multi-use, ADA-compliant pedestrian/bicycle trail linking numerous neighborhoods and community facilities such as parks and schools within Upper Merion Township. The resulting path completes the link between the King of Prussia Mall and the Schuylkill River Trail, as well as the Montgomery county-wide circuit, for pedestrians to use as a safe alternative to the existing congested system of roads.
The trail now connects Upper Merion Township, including the King of Prussia Mall and tens of thousands of residents, to the Circuit Trails via the Schuylkill River West Trail. (The Circuit Trails are hundreds of miles of interconnected trails that connect Greater Philadelphia with the East Coast Greenway. This Greenway connects Philadelphia north through New York City to Maine, and south through Washington, D.C. to Key West, Florida.
The Crow Creek Trail provides local residents recreational value and a scenic alternative transportation option of walking and bicycling. The new availability of trails enhances the health and quality of life of the community!
Thanks to recent grant awards from Pennsylvania as well as a PECO Natural Lands Grant, new amenities (benches, shade trees, trash receptacles, bike racks, pet waste elimination stations, info graphics and wayfaring signs) will add to the usefulness and attractiveness of the Trail!