On March 13, Upper Merion Township received a $1 million federal grant from the Eastern Federal Lands Access Program (EFLAP) to begin the Valley Forge Gateway Trail. In 2018, the Valley Forge Park Alliance conducted a feasibility study which first proposed the trail which will connect six municipalities, including King of Prussia Town Center and the Village at Valley Forge. The Valley Forge Gateway Trail Partnership, a multi-jurisdictional coalition such as Chester County, Montgomery County and other townships, has facilitated the construction and design. Active funding has been occurring for the past few years with plans for the construction to begin in November.
Nicole Ganzekaufer frequently uses local trails, such as Mount Misery in Valley Forge National Historic Park, and participates in half marathons. As a runner, she feels that the project is a benefit to the area.
“I heard about (the trail) from my daughter, and I was really excited about it because it sounds like a really great opportunity to expand the trail from Valley Forge to Chesterbrook and past (route) 202 and beyond,” Ganzekaufer said. “It sounds like a really great opportunity for the community in terms of both bikers and runners. It’s really exciting.”
In addition to the federal grant, the project received $326,900 from a William Penn Foundation grant and $500,000 from the Upper Merion Transportation Authority. Christopher Basler, the Director of Capital Projects and Planning for King of Prussia District, emphasizes the role that contributions such as the William Penn Foundation have to support the project.
“King of Prussia District received a grant from the William Penn Foundation that allows us to advocate for this project (and) promote it. So we’ll be coming up with special events that promote the idea,” Basler said. “It also helps us fundraise and apply for grants to design and construct.”
In addition to benefits for the frequent trail users, Ganzekaufer feels that the project serves as a step to promote walkers in the area.
“I think that, unfortunately, our suburbs are often situated for and there’s a long history of support for car traffic. But, we really need to work on expanding roadways for pedestrians and bikers that are protected,” Ganzekaufer said. “So that’s a really exciting project going forward to hear that there’s an expansion effort on the way.”
Nishta Subramanian can be reached at [email protected].
