Chester Valley Trail Project Status

The Chester Valley Trail (CVT) is part of the Circuit Trail network, a planned 800+ mile multi-use trail network throughout greater Philadelphia. The existing CVT runs through the heart of Chester County and is the most heavily used trail within the County Parks system. The CVT begins at the Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown, Montgomery County and currently ends along Commerce Drive in West Whiteland Township, Chester County.

CVT Photo

Chester Valley Trail in West Whiteland Township

Circuit Trails Location

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The Chester County Planning Commission developed master plans for the future extension of the trail across Chester County. The corridor consists of four primary segments:

Refer to the individual project summaries for more information about each project.

CVT Project Map

Chester Valley Trail Project Map

A Chester Valley Trail Phase IVA Extension to Oaklands

The CVT Extension to Oaklands project will extend the existing alignment of the Chester Valley Trail approximately 1-mile west from its current terminus along Commerce Drive to the Oaklands Corporate Center. The trail will include a bridge carrying the trail over Whitford Road.

Status/Updates

Schedule/Next Steps

(all timeframes are approximate based on current project understanding and are subject to change)

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B Chester Valley Trail P&T Extension

Important: The P&T corridor is currently owned by PennDOT and trespassing on the property is expressly prohibited.

In 2017, the Chester County Planning Commission completed the Chester Valley Trail — Extension to Downingtown Feasibility Study and Master Plan to determine a trail alignment to extend the CVT to the Borough of Downingtown. The historic Philadelphia & Thorndale (P&T) Branch rail corridor was identified as the overwhelmingly preferred route, extending the trail 7.4 miles west from Exton, West Whiteland Township through East Bradford Township, East Caln Township, West Bradford Township, Downingtown Borough, and ending near Thorndale in Caln Township.

P&T Master Plan Graphic

CVT Extension to Downingtown Master Plan

The P&T was constructed between 1903-1906 by the Pennsylvania Railroad to provide a separated low-grade freight line to bypass the more heavily trafficked Pennsylvania Main Line. Construction of the P&T involved over 2.6 million cubic yards of earthwork and 100,000 cubic yards of masonry for underpasses and culverts to maintain a consistent grade under 2%. The P&T was completely grade-separated from roadways to achieve high speed movement of freight through the corridor.

P&T Historic Photo

View of the Whitford Truss bridge carrying the P&T over the Pennsylvania Main Line. Credit: Triumph II Philadelphia to Harrisburg 1828-1998

The P&T was active until the late 1980's and the rails were removed in 1992.

The corridor is well-suited for trail development due to its consistent low grade and lack of at-grade road crossings. The corridor contains a very diverse landscape, from deep, canyon-like cuts through hillsides to elevated ridges that provide sweeping vistas of the Chester Valley. The future trail will accommodate a wide range of users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, rollerskaters, cross country skiers, and those using mobility-assist devices like wheelchairs and will be designed to meet current AASHTO Guidelines for the Development of Bicycle Facilities and ADA accessibility requirements.

Phasing

The P&T will be implemented in a phased approach aligned with financial resources and project implementation capacity. Primary project phases have been identified on the Proposed Phasing map, however the phasing order has not been determined with the exception of the first phase.

Phasing Map

CVT P&T Project Phasing map

Status/Updates

Schedule/Next Steps

(all timeframes are approximate based on current project understanding and are subject to change)

Chester Valley Trail West

In 2018, the Chester County Planning Commission completed the Chester Valley Trail West Feasibility Study and Master Plan that identified a preferred alignment for the extension of the CVT from Downingtown to the western county line in West Sadsbury Township, where it will connect with the Enola Low Grade Trail in Lancaster County. The CVT Enola Low Grade Segment will be the first part of the CVT West to be developed as described below.

C Chester Valley Trail West: Downingtown to Atglen

The recommended alignment for the CVT West is over 20 miles long and contains both multi-use trails and on-road connector facilities. This segment is viewed as a long-range objective that will occur after the completion of the Chester Valley Trail P&T extension.

There are no current efforts to advance this section of the trail. Please refer to the Chester Valley Trail West Feasibility Study and Master Plan for more information regarding the proposed plan.

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D Chester Valley Trail West: Enola Low Grade Segment — Extension to Atglen

Important: The Enola Low Grade Corridor is owned by SEPTA and trespassing on the property is expressly prohibited.

The CVT Extension to Atglen project will kickoff development of the CVT West. This project will extend the trail from the Chester/Lancaster County border in West Sadsbury Township into Atglen Borough. The trail will be constructed along the historic Enola Low Grade rail corridor currently owned by SEPTA.

PhotoSim Enola Low Grade Trail

Photo-simulation of CVT Enola Low Grade Trail Extension

Status/Updates

Scheduling/Next Steps

(all timeframes are approximate based on current project understanding and are subject to change)

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For more questions or more information, please contact Steve Buck, CCPC's Trails Planner, at 610-344-6285 or seObfuscationbuck@Obfuscationchesco.org.