Officials recently broke ground on a 4.5-acre park along the Delaware River, located just south of the Tacony – Palmyra bridge in Philadelphia, PA and adjacent to the Philadelphia Water Department’s historic Lardner’s Point Pump Station. Lardner’s Point Park will be the 64th in the Fairmount Park system and is an integral part of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation’s Green 2015 plan to expand the system by 500 acres over the next four years. The park is intended to be a gateway and trailhead for the Delaware River Heritage Trail and future link to the East Coast Greenway that runs from Maine to Florida.

The work at Lardner’s point will include demolition and removal of concrete ramp structures and concrete and asphalt paving throughout the site. A river overlook and fishing pier at the river’s edge will be a part of the new park along with riparian edge restoration, the creation of tidal wetlands, and the restoration of a riverbank forest area for picnicking and passive recreational activities. Construction is anticipated to be completed in 2012 at a cost of $1.5 million.

Urban Engineers, Inc. (Urban) was selected by the Delaware River City Corporation to provide environmental services in coordination with the park’s designer, BioHabitats, Inc. This is Urban’s second collaboration with the ecological planning and restoration firm from Baltimore, MD. Previously, Urban coordinated with BioHabitats, Inc. on Washington Avenue Green, the former Pier 53 turned park and multi-purpose trail that was the first new public space to open as part of the implementation of the Delaware River Waterfront Master Plan.

Urban has been the environmental consultant for the Lardner’s Point project and the adjacent Kensington & Tacony Trail project since the preliminary planning stages in the early 2000s. Early involvement included Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments, underground storage tank and brownfield remediation plans and a risk assessment. Most recently, Urban provided permitting assistance to bring the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Army Corp of Engineers, and Philadelphia Water Department on board with the park project. Urban will be providing environmental oversight during the construction phase of the park.