(Philadelphia, December 12, 2016) –  UPDATE: The portion of Schuylkill River Trail under construction for will be closed at all times for safety.  The trail route will be detoured to minimize inconvenience to users.

The reconstruction of a failing wall along the Schuylkill River has prompted closures to portions of Martin Luther King Drive and the Schuylkill River Trail along MLK Drive.

The construction and resulting detours began on December 6, 2016 and will continue until January 20, 2017, during the hours of 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 5:00 AM.  During those times the eastbound (inbound) lane of MLK Drive will be closed from Sweet Briar to Eakins Oval.

Also during construction, a portion of the Schuylkill River trail will be closed at all times and temporarily rerouted to remove pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the construction area.  That detour will run from Franklin Paine’s Skate Park though Eakins Oval to 22^nd street, then down 22^nd street to Race street which leads to the Race street trail entrance.

This project is necessary because a section of the existing Schuylkill Riverwall, approximately 75’ in length, failed and fell into the river on August 23, 2016. Due to this failure, a portion of the retained soil supported by the wall has collapsed into the river, along with the section of asphalt walkway it was supporting.  This condition leaves the area unstable, and the rivers tide and large storms will continue to cause further erosion and damage. Without immediate action the remaining sections of the wall and soil have a high potential to see additional failure presenting a life safety hazard to the public.

The Streets Department and the Department of Parks and Recreation thank residents and commuters for their patience and cooperation during the project.