With the
Race Street connector streetscape project already underway,
city officials gathered with Mayor Michael Nutter and
Delaware River Waterfront Corporation president Tom Corcoran last week to break ground
on the
Race Street Pier park project. The pier is to act as a pilot
project for waterfront greenways that feature heavily in the Master Plan
for the Central Delaware.
"With this park, we have created a public space that we hope will
leverage private investment along the waterfront," says DRWC VP of
Operations Joe Forkin.
The park features a rising, boardwalk-style platform, allowing for views
across the river, next to greenspace and tree-lined pathways. Park
designers secured mature trees left over from the World Trade Center
building project, giving the park an aged look from the start. The
pathways and railings are all lit with solar-powered LED lighting to
give the pier a modern feel during the day and at night. The project is
scheduled for completion in the spring of 2011.
"It's day and night enjoyment," says Forkin. "During the day, you can
sunbathe, you can walk, you can complete the circuit from Old City, down
the connector to the waterfront. And then at night, we've added a
lighting component in a random pattern through the pavers and then the
bridge above you, creating a spectacular light show at night to play off
the location under the Ben Franklin Bridge."
Source: Joe Forkin, DRWC
Writer: John Steele