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The Forge to Refuge Trail- Feasibility Study
East Section - Cobbs Creek Trail west into Haverford Township
West Section - Radnor Trail west to Villanova
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The namesake of the Trail: The Valley Forge National Historical Park...
...and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
Determining the availability and feasibility of creating a trail between Valley Forge National Historic Park and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.
The “idea” of the Forge to Refuge Trail came about as a result of meetings in Radnor Township regarding the extension of the Radnor Trail at both the east and west ends. Although there are some fairly substantial barriers in both directions, it was soon realized that the benefits of developing solutions to overcome those barriers resulted in a valuable regional, multi-municipal trail planning effort that offered far more than simply extending the already landlocked and isolated Radnor Trial.
In 2014, Campbell Thomas & Co. was selected to conduct a feasibility study to determine both the availability of, and the feasibility of creating two sections of this trail from Radnor-Chester Road to Villanova and from Haverford Township to the Cobbs Creek Trail. Study for the section from Villanova to Haverford was postponed, due to SEPTA’s planning efforts that may impact the Norristown High Speed Line.
This study included significant coordination between five municipalities; numerous stakeholder groups which included PennDOT, SEPTA, Villanova University, Radnor Township School District, and Cobbs Creek Golf Course; as well as the general public. This collaborative process ensured the selection of the best possible trail alignment. Subsequently, the study was adopted in 2015, and shortly after Campbell Thomas & Co. was selected for final design and construction work on a portion of the Valley Forge to Heinz Refuge Trail in Radnor Township.