Helping to complete one of the many “priority gaps” on the Schuylkill River Trail in Chester County, officials unveiled a 5.6-mile section in Spring City Tuesday that will eventually connect the multi-use trail system with the rest of the region.
Before a crowd of nearly 40 people, Chester County representatives hailed the opening of Spring City’s portion of the Schuylkill River Trail as an accomplishment because it will spur economic growth for the borough and begin to finish work on the approximately 130-mile system.
John P. Mikowychok, director of Chester County Parks and Recreation, told those in attendance that the completion of Spring City’s section marks the first phase of the county’s construction of the Schuylkill River Trail.
“We’ve come a long way,” Mikowychok said.
The first phase of the project, Mikowychok explained, will take riders from Parker Ford to East Pikeland along Township Line Road, a roughly 5.6-mile trip.
While reading the history of the trail, Mikowychok said planning for a system that stretched from Reading to Philadelphia dates back to 1932. Roughly 20 years later, planners revised their intentions to have the trail include Pottsville.
In 1982, plans for the Schuylkill River Trail in Spring City and Chester County came into fruition after an easement agreement between PECO helped to shape the project, he said.
“Seventy-nine years in the waiting,” he added. “I think this is something we can all be proud of.”
Sentiments that were also echoed by Chester County Commissioners’ Chairman Terence Farrell, who said the Schuylkill River Trail helps to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to boroughs and park systems across the region annually, and Spring City will be no exception to that trend.
With the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources awarding the borough approximately $406,000 in 2010 to finish its portion of the trail, Farrell said this helped shore up one of the “priority gaps” that needed to be completed on the proposed 140-mile trail system.
Thanks to the Pottstown Mercury for this information...
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