Christian to Crescent
Above photo courtesy of Joseph E. B. Elliott.
The Christian to Crescent trail segment was the final link needed to provide an entirely off-road pedestrian and cyclist route between Grays Ferry Crescent to the south and nearly seven trail miles to the north. The segment furthers SRDC’s vision of constructing a completely off-road, multi-use trail along the Schuylkill between the Fairmount Water Works and Bartram’s Garden, two National Historic Landmarks. This was a difficult trail segment to design and construct because the area is still industrially active and the riverbank narrows for a portion of its length. In order to complete this segment, a 650-foot cable supported bridge was constructed along the east riverbank with two approach spans on either side. The segment also includes a new trail access point on the east side of the 34th Street Bridge and a tunnel connection to Grays Ferry Crescent under the bridge.
Above photo courtesy of the City of Philadelphia Department of Streets and shows the entire Christian to Crescent trail segment from the southern end looking northeast.
Cable-Stayed Bridge Spans
Foundations in the river provide support for the main bridge spans and towers that support the cables. Each foundation has nine concrete caissons that are secured into bedrock. The photos below show the concrete caissons under construction (top left), the contractor pouring the pier cap (bottom left), and the contractor setting reinforcing steel in one of the two towers (right). The combination of the foundations, deck, and towers measure 168 feet above the mean water line, which is the same height as Independence Hall's central bell tower and steeple.
The two main towers consist of 10 concrete sections post-tensioned in place. The three horizontal spans on either side of the towers consist of prestressed U-beams post-tensioned in place and carry the 25-foot wide deck. The deck has gentle horizontal curves with seating areas and overlooks provided at each tower. The cables are arranged in a unique woven harp configuration. The colors in the image below help visualize this configuration. It is believed that this pattern is the first of its kind for a cable-stayed bridge.
Project Team
Final design for this trail segment was completed by the Philadelphia office of AECOM under contract with SRDC. Construction was completed by PKF-Mark III, Inc. from Newtown, PA with subcontractors from California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Ontario Canada. The City of Philadelphia Department of Streets held the construction contract and worked with PennDOT, TRC, and Urban Engineers to complete construction management and inspection. Construction funding was provided by USDOT, PennDOT, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, the PA Office of the Budget, the PA Department of Environmental Protection, the City of Philadelphia, and the William Penn Foundation.
