New Grant Advances Planning for Valley Forge Gateway Trail

In June, King of Prussia District and Upper Merion Township were awarded Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) funding to plan Segment 7 of the Valley Forge Gateway Trail

Segment 7 is the section that connects King of Prussia Town Center to the Chester Valley Trail. This segment is also the most complex as it runs through a busy commercial corridor and bridges Highway 202 and an I-76 on-ramp before linking up with the Chester Valley Trail.

The award, issued by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) Board, is one of nine TCDI grants awarded in Pennsylvania this year for local planning initiatives that advance regional transportation goals. The scope of work includes early-phase planning, feasibility analyses, conceptual design and preliminary cost estimates. DVRPC will open the project for bid in August to pre-qualified consultants. More information on the TCDI program is available on the DVRPC website.

Since 2016, King of Prussia District, Upper Merion Township, PennDOT, Montgomery County, Valley Forge National Historical Park and other partners have advanced six of the trail’s seven segments through planning, design, construction or operation. This grant moves the seventh and final segment into planning. First proposed in Montgomery County’s 2018 Bike Montco Plan, this segment creates a direct link between the Circuit Trails network and the residential communities, healthcare facilities and businesses in the Village at Valley Forge and King of Prussia Town Center.

The Circuit Trails Coalition, a partnership of organizations advocating for a multi-use trail network across nine counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, named the Valley Forge Gateway Trail the #1 trail segment in the region for improving access to parks and recreation. The Coalition’s 2022 Gap Analysis of the Circuit Trails Network also ranked it the #1 priority on the Pennsylvania circuit for access to employment.

To follow the TCDI planning process or learn how to help inform the design, sign up for the Trail Partnership email list.