King of Prussia District and Upper Merion Township have received a 2024 Montgomery Award for the First Avenue Linear Park and Road Diet Project. This “complete streets” initiative has significantly enhanced safety and accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists in the Moore Park area of King of Prussia.
The project was one of five outstanding projects recently recognized at the Montgomery County Planning Commission’s 57th annual awards ceremony.
This prestigious program honors excellence in planning and design, advocacy, and environmental stewardship in Montgomery County and acknowledges the high-quality work and commitment of communities, organizations, and professionals. As highlighted in the below video produced by the Planning Commission, the First Avenue Linear Park and Road Diet were selected for multimodal design and planning, collaborative process, and innovative programming. The ambitious road improvement project spanned 12 years and five construction phases and was officially celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 10, 2024.
The First Avenue Linear Park’s central feature is an 8-to-12-foot-wide multimodal path that stretches from Allendale Road to North Gulph Road, linking 15 properties. The property owners each granted public access to the park. Amenities include public seating areas, a ping-pong table, a beehive, lush landscaping, rain gardens, solar-powered pedestrian lighting, trash receptacles, and bus shelters. Properties along the Linear Park contribute to maintenance and programming throughout the year, which is financially matched and managed by King of Prussia District.
King of Prussia District and Upper Merion Township secured $4,972,639 in grant funding for the project. Financial assistance was provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro, PennDOT, the Department of Community and Economic Development, Commonwealth Financing Authority, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and Montgomery County.
In 2019, King of Prussia District and Upper Merion Township completed the First Avenue Road Diet, transforming the hazardous four-lane road into a safer three-lane road with a dedicated center turn lane. This important transportation safety project also introduced bicycle lanes, wider shoulders, ADA-compliant curb ramps, and a mid-block signalized pedestrian crosswalk. The project was partially funded by $455,856 in grants secured from PennDOT.
Learn more about King of Prussia District and its progressive vision of KOP as Greater Philadelphia’s economic powerhouse and premier location for community and commerce.
