Limited Parking at Upper Valley Green Parking Lot in Wissahickon Starts June 24

Parking at the Upper Valley Green Parking Lot on Valley Green Road in Wissahickon Valley Park will be limited beginning Monday, June 24, 2013, due to preliminary project work by the Friends of the Wissahickon.  

The parking lot will be closed during Phases 1 and 2 of the project, beginning on July 1, 2013. Parking will be limited during the week prior to the start of Phase 1, from June 24 to 30. The two parking lots closest to Valley Green Inn will be reserved for patrons with disabilities and families with small children.  

This two-phase project will improve water quality in Wissahickon Creek by helping to meet the EPA Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for sedimentation, improve parking conditions, and restore native vegetation. Phase 1 (July 1 to September 30) will involve stabilizing the streambank along the parking lot, and Phase 2 (dates to be determined) will involve resurfacing the parking lot itself. Construction dates are determined by the permitting process and weather conditions. 

The project will involve stabilizing 350 feet of stream adjacent to the parking area by installing rock steps designed to dissipate high energy storm flows, resurfacing/restriping the parking lot, repairing broken wheel stops, and replacing invasive plant species with natives. This project is being done in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Philadelphia Water Department as part of the Wissahickon Stormwater Mitigation and Sediment Reduction Project, a collaborative effort to reduce erosion and the loss of forest habitat park-wide.    

For the safety of all park users, Park Rangers will patrol the Park during the length of the project and cars parking in non-designated parking areas in Wissahickon Valley Park will be ticketed because emergency vehicles must have access. Park users are urged to bike, walk, or use public transportation to the park, and use alternative parking lots in the Wissahickon, which are shown in the attached park overview graphic. A more detailed map of the park, trails and parking areas can be found on FOW's new Map of Wissahickon Valley Park (available at www.fow.org/about-park/maps).  

About Friends of the Wissahickon

The Friends of the Wissahickon, founded in 1924, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the Wissahickon Valley. FOW works in partnership with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation to restore historical structures throughout the park, eliminate invasive plant species, monitor watershed management issues, and restore trails throughout the Wissahickon Valley Park with its Sustainable Trails Initiative. Follow FOW on Facebook and Twitter. For more information or to become a member, visit www.fow.org.