The Schuylkill River Trail along the Manayunk Canal will be closed to the public for the rest of the year as the Philadelphia Water Department reconnects the waterway to the Manayunk Canal to improve water quality, writes Brian Saunders for PhillyVoice.

The Flat Rock Dam Betterment project will extract sediment in the waterway to reconnect the canal and allow water to flow again.

The Manayunk Canal has not been a working canal since the 1940s when it was used by barges delivering coal to textile factories, according to WHYY.

“When the railroad came through, it was no longer viable to run the barges, so they stopped using the canal, said Pete Reilly, an engineer for the Philadelphia Water Department.

Walkers and bikers can travel up the worksite, but then have to turnaround. Signs will be posted at Shawmont Avenue and Nixon Street, and on the Manayunk Towpath near Leverington Avenue.

Construction is expected to be finished in August 2024. The Flat Rock Betterment project, which has a price tag of $15 million, will include adding green stormwater basins and a perimeter fence for security. The restoration work will be conducted from Manayunk to Miquon.

The improvements are expected to create a healthier environment for the local wildlife too.

“By basically going in and excavating that area where the water used to come in the canal, reconnecting to the river, and giving it a place to flow out down by Canal Street, we’re going to bring some life back into that stretch of the canal,” said Brian Rademaekers, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Water Department.

Read more about how the project will impact the Schuylkill River Trail at PhillyVoice.

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More on the history of the Manayunk Canal.