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Philly pedestrians and cyclists will finally have easy access to the Schuylkill Crossing Swing Bridge that will connect Bartram’s Garden and Grays Ferry Crossing.
The Schuylkill Crossing will be unveiled by city officials and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Grays Ferry Crescent Esplanade on Nov. 13 from 2 to 4 p.m.
The bridge is scheduled to be open to the public after 3 p.m. and there will be treats and a chance to pick up a free Schuylkill Crossing sweatshirt at the event.
The addition of the bridge connects the two ends of the Schuylkill Banks and adds a 1,000-foot trail segment that extends the Schuylkill River Trail.
“This bridge is a major step forward in making our region’s trail network more connected and more accessible,” said Patrick Monahan, a regional organizer with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “There are nearly 15 miles of existing circuit trails west of the swing bridge and 25 miles to the east and north. Now they come together as one continuous multi-use trail from Bartram’s Garden to Manayunk, with future connections to Berks County by way of the Schuylkill River Trail and to Delaware County by way of the East Coast Greenway.”
The Schuylkill River Trail, currently over 80 miles long, is the most heavily used trail in the region, drawing nearly a million-and-a-half pedestrians and over 400,000 cyclists since last November, according to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.
Pedestrians and cyclists previously had to break away from the trail and use the Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge to get across the river, in a barrier separated lane alongside four lanes of highway traffic. From that bridge, the path to Bartram’s Garden wasn’t straight forward.
“It was easier, if you were in a car,” said Justin Dennis, chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition and New Jersey program director with Trust for Public Land. “But for everyone else on foot, on bike, people with mobility assistance needs, people with strollers, it was not convenient. It was not safe. It was not enjoyable … We always want to do our best to remove people from harm’s way by getting them off of roadways onto traffic-separated, multi-use paths.”
The bridge will be able to pivot on a center swing bridge truss that will allow tall ships to pass by along the river when needed.
Before a multiuse bridge was added to the pivot in 2018, a railroad swing bridge owned by the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad Company was on the pivot for over a hundred years, going out of use in 1984 and finally getting demolished in 2018.
A 650-foot cable bridge connecting Center City with the Grays Ferry neighborhood was added to the trail back in May 2025.
For Dennis, choosing favorites between the cable bridge and the swing bridge was like picking between a Christmas present and a birthday gift. He said seeing the engineering marvel of a vibrantly red bridge turning over the water might draw visitors just for the spectacle.
“If I were a 3-year-old or if I were a parent of a young kid, like which would I [go to?] It’s obviously the one that moves and allows a boat to pass through,” he said.
On Nov. 14, the Saturday after the Schuylkill Crossing opens, there will be a community celebration to explore the new pathway hosted by the Schuylkill River Development Corporation, Bartram’s Garden, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, WeWalk PHL, and the East Coast Greenway Alliance.
Events during that community event will start at Bartram’s Garden and will include a community walk along Bartram’s Mile to the swing bridge from 10 to 11 a.m. and guided bike tours at the top of every hour from 11 a.m to 2 p.m.
“Bridging the gap between Bartram’s Garden and the residents of Southwest Philadelphia to the Schuylkill Banks is a really big deal for the network as a whole,” said Lana Harshaw, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition. “Each new mile of the Circuit Trails gives people in our region another way to reach their destination by walking and biking, with real benefits for mental health, physical health, and community connection.”
