As of late 2017, approximately 1 mile of the Pencoyd Trail has been completed. The paved, multi-use trail begins at Main Street and an on-street segment of the Schuylkill River Trail next to the UA Cinema complex at the south end of the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. It crosses the Schuylkill River on the south side of the Pencoyd Bridge, a restored iron truss bridge that once linked the city to an ironworks that was located on the opposite side of the river (the bridge itself now carries an access road that links Manayunk to the Royal Athena Apartments, now located on the site of the former ironworks).
After crossing into Montgomery County, the trail passes real estate offices and a park-like plaza with decorative gardens and metal sculptures resembling bicycles. Here, trail users have the option of turning onto Righters Ferry Road, which passes under both the Norfolk Southern rail line and Schuylkill Expressway, and linking up to the Cynwyd and Manayunk Bridge trails via West Laurel Hill Cemetery.
The trail itself continues up the southwest bank of the Schuylkill, past the Royal Athena Luxury Apartment Complex, and passing beneath a RR trestle. It currently dead ends at a creek just northwest of the trestle and next to the Schuylkill Expressway. The remnants of an old RR bridge over this creek are visible immediately beyond the western terminus of the trail, indicating that it follows the path of a line that probably once served the now defunct iron works.
Plans call for the trail to be extended beneath the Schuylkill Expressway and Norfolk Southern rail line, then climbing the hill to directly connect to the Cynwyd and Manayunk Bridge trails in the near future. It will then form an important link in The Circuit, the growing network of multi-use trails spanning southeast PA and western NJ.
Parking is available at the UA Cinema complex off Main Street in Manayunk's south end.
The limited access bridge provides another way to get over Schuylkill into Philly south of Manayunk near entrance to Wissahickon Valley trails. You can do a fun loop along Schuylkill River trail, take the Cynwyd trail bridge over river, continue on Cynwyd Trail and cut through cemetery (the signage is great) back to Pencoyd Bridge.
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