Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the City of Philadelphia Dedicate South to Christian Segment of the Schuylkill River Trail

PHILADELPHIA, April 20, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the City of Philadelphia, elected city and state officials including the Honorable James Kenney, Mayor, City of Philadelphia; Michael Di Berardinis, Managing Director of the City of Philadelphia; State Representative Jordan Harris (D-Phila); Senator Lawrence Farnese (D-1^st); Councilman Kenyatta Johnson (D-Phila); Leslie Richards, Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation; Diane Kripas, Trails Manager, DCNR; Shawn McCaney, Executive Director, William Penn Foundation; Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commissioner of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and area neighbors today celebrated the dedication of the South to Christian Street segment of the Schuylkill River Trail in Philadelphia. The event included a ceremonial opening of the gates and bridge that provide neighborhood access to this new section of the trail at CHOP's Roberts Center for Pediatric Research.

"From the beginning, we worked hard to make sure our plans for a world-class research campus would benefit the surrounding community," said Doug Hock, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "This is why we donated land for public use and built a bridge that offers a connection to the Schuylkill River Trail. Today, we celebrate the realization of a vision that we have shared with our neighbors since the early stages of developing the Roberts Center for Pediatric Research."

"We are thrilled to open South to Christian, an important segment of the Schuylkill River Trail and the Circuit trail network," said Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commissioner of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. "With South to Christian opened, we are one step closer to historic Bartram's Garden and diverse neighborhoods in South and Southwest Philadelphia."

"The new trail is tucked in between an active railroad freight line and the Schuylkill River, and the new pedestrian bridge from the Children's Hospital Roberts Pediatric Research Center helps ensure neighborhood connectivity," added Hock.

The trail segment opened in late January 2018 and, with the addition of the newly constructed segment, extends the Schuylkill River Trail in Center City by 1,400 feet. This segment, which is part of the regional trail network known as The Circuit, was constructed in two phases, which together cost approximately $5M. Grants from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, PennDot, the William Penn Foundation, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the City of Philadelphia and others helped to make the trail and greenway a reality.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide.  Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country.  In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 546-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu

About the Circuit Trails: Greater Philadelphia is the proud home of the Circuit Trails, a vast regional trail network of hundreds of miles of multi-use trails that is growing in size each year. One of America's largest trail networks, the Circuit currently includes more than 320 miles of completed multi-use trails with a vision of more than 800 miles of interconnected trails across the nine-county region in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Nearly 65 nonprofit organizations, foundations and agencies are working together as part of the Circuit Trails Coalition to advance the completion of the trail network. A premiere regional amenity, the Circuit Trails connect our people to our local communities, providing endless opportunities for recreation and commuting.  So whether you bike it, walk it, run it or paddle alongside it, the point is — just enjoy it. Learn more at www.circuittrails.org and connect with the Circuit Trails on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out what is happening #onthecircuit.

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) advances the prosperity of the city and the progress of her people through intentional and sustained stewardship of nearly 10,200 acres of public land and waterways as well as through hundreds of safe, stimulating recreation, environmental and cultural centers. PPR promotes the well-being and growth of the city's residents by connecting them to the natural world around them, to each other and to fun, physical and social opportunities. PPR is responsible for the upkeep of historically significant Philadelphia events and specialty venues, and works collaboratively with communities and organizations in leading capital projects and the introduction of inventive programming. To learn more about Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, visit www.phila.gov/parksandrec, and follow @philaparkandrec on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr.

Contact: Joey McCool Ryan 
(267) 426-6070
[email protected]

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia