LOWER MERION — A half-mile extension to the Cynwyd trail is expected to be completed later this year, Lower Merion officials said during a recent township committee meeting.
Once the new trail extension is complete, the Parkside-Cynwyd trail will connect to the existing Cynwyd trail from the Cynwyd to the Bala train stations.
For many years, township officials have said the trail extension will provide access from Lower Merion into west Philadelphia.
“The Cynwyd Heritage Trail is a major regional trail spine that connects Lower Merion with Manayunk and the Wissahickon Transportation Center and a future Trail connection which is planned to extend further into Overbrook and central Philadelphia from the Bala Station,” according to township documents.
Donna Heller, director of parks and recreation for Lower Merion, said construction on the project began in January and is expected to be completed in October.
According to township officials, after work began, there were additional expenses that increased the costs for the project. Those expenses were due to the delays caused by the SEPTA’s Right of Entry permit process and their approval of the site-specific work plan. There have also been unforeseen abandoned steel rails and ties found in the project area. Those ties and rails were discovered during the clearing and grubbing of the site.
The delays and old rail line equipment created a funding shortfall of over $400,000.
As part of the committee meeting, the commissioners approved a resolution allowing the township staff to receive one additional grant.
“[T]he Township of Lower Merion was awarded an additional PennDOT Transportation Assistance Program (TAP) grant in 2025 in the amount of $410,300 for a total grant amount of $2,249,996; … this grant award requires the execution of various documents and agreements between the Township, PennDOT and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) which administers the grant program and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) which owns the land,” according to the resolution approved by the commissioners.
The Cynwyd Heritage Trail was created as part of the township’s park system over a decade ago, primarily from the unused portion of SEPTA’s Cynwyd rail line.
In the 1980s, SEPTA closed the section of the Cynwyd Line between the Cynwyd Station and Manayunk. The bridge over the Schuylkill River was also closed at that time. The bridge was refurbished and became part of the trail in 2015.
The Cynwyd Heritage Trail also includes a section commonly known as the Spaventa property. The Spaventa Switchback, as a historic marker now call it, runs from the Manayunk bridge to Belmont Avenue. Before the trail was built, the Lower Merion School District considered purchasing the Spaventa property to use it as a bus depot.