Formed in 1850 by the Philadelphia and Reading Company, the Chester Valley Railroad stretched 22 miles between Bridgeport and Downingtown. The Chester Valley Trail will generally follow a now-abandoned rail corridor and will connect Chester County’s Struble Trail in Exton with Montgomery County’s Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown. Chester County is expecting to extend the trail into Downingtown.
Currently, a 1-mile section has been completed by PennDOT in Montgomery County, including a bridge over the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) in King of Prussia. Eventually, the trail will take visitors over the Schuylkill River in Norristown and provide access to view the new fish ladder at the Norristown Dam as well as opportunities to visit various shops, restaurants, and art galleries along the way. It will then continue past the Veterans Memorial Park and into the King of Prussia area of Upper Merion Township.
