King of Prussia District and Upper Merion Township Presented with 2024 Montgomery Award for First Avenue Linear Park & Road Diet Projects

King of Prussia, PA (December 5, 2024) –King of Prussia District and Upper Merion Township are proud to receive a 2024 Montgomery Award for the First Avenue Linear Park and Road Diet Project. This ‘complete streets’ initiative has significantly enhanced safety and accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in the Moore Park area of King of Prussia. The project was one of five (5) outstanding projects recognized at the Montgomery County Planning Commission’s 57^th annual awards ceremony on November 18, 2024.

This prestigious program honors excellence in planning and design, advocacy and environmental stewardship in Montgomery County and acknowledges the high-quality work and commitment of communities, organizations and professionals. As highlighted in a project recap video produced by the Planning Commission, the First Avenue Linear Park and Road Diet were selected for multimodal design and planning, collaborative process and innovative programming. The ambitious road improvement project spanned 12 years and five (5) construction phases and was officially celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony on October 10, 2024.

The First Avenue Linear Park’s central feature is an 8-12 foot wide multimodal path that stretches from Allendale Road to N. Gulph Road, linking 15 properties. The property owners each granted public access to the park. Amenities include public seating areas, a ping-pong table, a beehive, lush landscaping, rain gardens, solar-powered pedestrian lighting, trash receptacles and bus shelters. Properties along the Linear Park contribute to maintenance and programming throughout the year, which is financially matched and managed by King of Prussia District. King of Prussia District and Upper Merion Township secured $4,972,639 in grant funding for the project. Financial assistance was provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Honorable Josh Shapiro, Governor, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Department of Community and Economic Development, Commonwealth Financing Authority, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and Montgomery County.

In 2019, King of Prussia District and Upper Merion Township completed the First Avenue Road Diet, transforming the hazardous four-lane road into a safer three-lane road with a dedicated center turn lane. This important transportation safety project also introduced bicycle lanes, wider shoulders, ADA-compliant curb ramps, and a mid-block signalized pedestrian crosswalk. The project was partially funded by $455,856 in grant funding secured from PennDOT.

ABOUT UPPER MERION TOWNSHIP
Upper Merion Township is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, about 15 miles from Philadelphia. Over the last five decades, Upper Merion has developed into one of the most important activity centers of the region. The township has approximately 34,000 residents, hosts over 60,000 jobs, and offers over 28 million square feet of commercial space.

ABOUT KING OF PRUSSIA DISTRICT

Driven by a progressive vision of King of Prussia as Greater Philadelphia’s economic powerhouse and premier location for community and commerce, King of Prussia District is a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization that represents 431 commercial property owners with a combined $2.3B in assessed property value. Founded in 2010 through Upper Merion Township ordinance, King of Prussia District boldly pursues its mission of accelerating economic growth by making King of Prussia more vibrant, attractive and prosperous through work across five programs: Land Use & Zoning; Marketing & Communications; Physical Improvements; Research & Data Analytics; and Transportation.

More information is available at visitKOP.com | Facebook @KingofPrussiaDistrict | Instagram @visitKOP | LinkedIn @KingofPrussiaDistrict | X (formerly Twitter) @KOPBID

Awards photo available for download Here
Photo Credit: Montgomery County, PA

Caption (from left):
Eric Goldstein, King of Prussia District; Kathy Sweeney-Pogwist, Brandywine Realty Trust; Rachel Ammon, King of Prussia District; Qi Guo, King of Prussia District; Julie DeMasi, King of Prussia District; Tina Garzillo, Upper Merion Township; Carole Kenney, Upper Merion Township; Brian Finkelstein, Pennoni; Julie Bush, Ground Reconsidered; Brian Keaveney, Pennoni; Amanda Lafty, Upper Merion Township.