Manayunk Bridge to reopen as trail

LOWER MERION The Manayunk Bridge over the Schuylkill and I-76 is to reopen Friday as a pedestrian and bicycle trail.

The bridge between Lower Merion and Manayunk, built as a railroad crossing, has been closed for nearly 30 years. The reopened bridge will connect Lower Merion's Cynwyd Heritage Trail with Main Street in Manayunk.

Funding for the $5.76 million trail construction included $4.5 million from the state Department of Transportation and additional assistance from Lower Merion capital funds, the William Penn Foundation, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and SEPTA.

Local and state officials are to appear at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the center of the new trail at 11 a.m. Friday.

"The opening of this bridge is one of the most anticipated and exciting events in a long time for the Lower Merion park system and our township," Commissioner Scott Zelov, chairman of the parks and recreation committee, said in a statement. - Laura McCrystal