A new 200-foot-long pedestrian bridge has opened near Forbidden Drive at Wissahickon Valley Park, writes Michael Tanenbaum for PhillyVoice.

The new bridge marks the completion of a $3 million restoration project to restore the stream channel and protect it from erosion.

With the bridge now open to the public, visitors will now have improved accessibility and an observation deck at one of the city’s most scenic sites. There is now also a crossing point that removes the need to walk along the narrow path of Valley Green Road to navigate the trail system.

The project also included stabilizing the stream channel along the Wissahickon Creek, where years of storm-related erosion led to the collapse of the old footbridge about a decade ago.

After about seven months of nearby road closures and detoured trails, normal traffic and trail access has now been restored.

Friends of the Wissahickon, the nonprofit that helps care for the 1,800-acre park, said improvements made to the creek’s stream channel and bank will slow erosion caused by storms and prevent sediment discharge.

The new pedestrian bridge connects the park’s Orange and White trails, which lead to Forbidden Drive.

Read more about the new pedestrian bridge at Wissahickon Valley Park in Phillvoice.

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