July 15, 2024
A ribbon cutting was held on July 11, 2024, to celebrate the opening of a portion of the Fox Chase Lorimer Trail in Philadelphia. Part of the Circuit Trails network, the trail provides convenient, multimodal access to the SEPTA Fox Chase Station.
The Fox Chase Lorimer Trail in Philadelphia is officially open! This project included construction of a 0.45-mile shared-use walking and bicycling trail along the former SEPTA Fox Chase Rail Line’s Newtown Branch.
The trail serves as an ADA-compliant off-road connection for pedestrians and cyclists to access the Pennypack Trail, which spans from Lorimer Park in Montgomery County to the mouth of Pennypack Creek on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The half-mile long trail begins at the Rhawn Street and Elberton Avenue intersection (near the Fox Chase SEPTA Station) and connects with the Pennypack Trail at the Philadelphia/Montgomery County Line (near Blake Avenue).
By providing an off-road route between Fox Chase and Lorimer Park, the short trail segment connects this neighborhood center and transit hub to an array of transportation and recreational opportunities. Making connections between active transportation and transit is a key strategy for reducing our transportation system’s impact on local health and the global climate.
A ribbon cutting was held on July 11, 2024, with SEPTA Deputy Chief Planning Officer Jody Holton, Philadelphia Streets Department Commissioner Kristin Del Rossi, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Deputy Commissioner of Operations Susan Buck, Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, DVRPC staff and PennDOT representative Joe Banks, and representatives from Fox Chase Civic Association and the Circuit Trails Coalition.
Planning and construction of the trail were funded with federal grants made through DVRPC’s Transportation Community Development Initiative (TCDI) and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) program, both managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) District 6 and DVRPC.