DELAWARE COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A new trail that will let hikers walk among the treetops in Delaware County is one step closer to becoming a reality.
A $226,900 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is pushing the Darby Creek Trail project into its phase 2 final design, “which means engineering an elevated trail,” said Gina Burritt, the county’s director of planning.
“It’s not your typical trail, but this will really be a neat design feature and a unique section of trail that will be up in the trees.”
Burritt says the trail will span about a half-mile, from Upper Darby through Lansdowne and into Clifton Heights. The project also takes into consideration how the weather affects the creek.
“Because of the land uses and the creek being right there, obviously that is also a feature but it can lead to some flooding concerns,” she said, “so having an elevated trail that will not be as prone to flooding is a big deal.”
Part of the grant will go into figuring out just how this trail will look. “It will give people just a different viewpoint, a different perspective than what they typically see on your standard trail,” Burrit said.
The final design phase has an estimated price tag of $850,000. According to Burritt, the county hopes to have it wrapped up in the next three years. Construction of the elevated trail, however, won’t come cheap.
“Because of this feature, it will be expensive. We’re at this point thinking somewhere in the $5 million range,” said Burritt. Right now, there is no timetable on when the project as a whole will be finished.