Philadelphia Trails (In a Good Way)

From the inbox:

U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz announced today that the City of Philadelphia will receive $17.2 million for a bicycle and pedestrian network that will provide new multimodal transportation options for our region. The funds are part of a larger effort to create bicycle and pedestrian commuting opportunities for Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey called GREAT-PA/NJ. Philadelphia’s application was one of just 61 projects that were funded out of 1,380 applications nationwide.

“This regional transportation network will be a unique asset to the Philadelphia area and will transform biking and pedestrian greenways in our region,” said U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, who advocated for this important funding. “This new greenway will have a significant impact on our economy, creating jobs in the metropolitan area and enhancing quality of life for our residents.”

“We appreciate the work that Congresswoman Schwartz did to make this project happen,” said Patrick Starr, Senior Vice President for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. “Congresswoman Schwartz is a champion for sustainable initiatives throughout the Pennsylvania region and her efforts along the North Delaware Riverfront Greenway have been particularly notable.”

“Residents will benefit greatly from this network of trails and street improvements—using them to commute to work, go to the local grocery store, or for recreation. It will also significantly improve access to the riverfront along the North Delaware,” Schwartz said.

The funds were provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s TIGER Discretionary Grant funding program. The Transportation Investment Generating Economy Recovery grant program was included in the Recovery Act to spur national competition for innovative, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional transportation projects that promise significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, a region or the nation. Projects funded include improvements to roads, bridges, rail, ports, transit and intermodal facilities.