Out on the Trail

Building & Maintaining the Bulkhead

The bulkhead (i.e. the concrete and metal retaining wall) along the Center City segment has seen the tidal Schuylkill River rise and fall twice every day since 1997. In some areas, the river has proven to be stronger than steel and has created small holes in the corrugated metal sheeting that faces the river. These small holes are not noticable to us from the riverbank, but the small sinkholes that are formed because the soil is eroding into the river are noticeable.

SRDC hired a consultant in 2018 to inspect the entire 4,785-foot bulkhead. Divers completed their underwater inspections and verified areas along the bulkhead in need of repairs. A few of these areas have already been repaired either from the river side of the bulkhead or from land. Once the bulkhead is repaired, the corresponding sinkhole on the greenway is filled in with new soil and landscaped. Rehabilitating the bulkhead is an on-going project, so expect to periodically see larger machines working along the bulkhead or divers completing the necessary repairs from the river.

Pictured here are two photos from June 1997 when the bulkhead was constructed. The above photo was taken looking north from the base of the Walnut Street Bridge and the below photo was taken looking south from the base of the 676 Expressway Bridge.