Two new videos feature East Coast Greenway in Newark and Cranford

Better news from the East Coast Greenway this go around.  Two new videos from the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA) feature sights that one can see as you travel along the East Coast Greenway in the towns of Newark and Cranford New Jersey.

In the first video from Newark you will hear about the history of Weequahic Park in the south of Newark (it once housed a Velodrome) and you will get a glimpse of the well engineered road diet and bike lanes on Irvine Turner Blvd that the ECGA was instrumental in getting built.  Not only does the bike lane on Irvine Turner provide a critical bicycle connection between Downtown Newark and the Weequahic section of the city, it is also the first bike lane built on a street managed by Essex County and will surely act as a model to be repeated elsewhere in the county.


View Irvine Turner Blvd Bike Lanes in Larger Map

The second video is less eyeopening from a bicycle advocacy perspective but still VERY eyeopening demonstrating the beauty of Cranford which is representative of many of the older pre-war New Jersey suburbs.

Enjoy!

D&R Canal Towpath / East Coast Greenway closed in Franklin Township

Driving past the Amwell Road trailhead of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath two weeks ago I saw something rather unusual.  There was a six foot tall fence blocking off the entire trailhead parking lot, including access to the trail itself.  Today as I was out riding my road bike, I purposely pedaled past the trailhead to get a closer look.  There was a sign on the fence indicating the following:

The towpath from AMWELL ROAD (RT 514) TO THE WESTON CAUSEWAY will be CLOSED FROM JANUARY 21 THROUGH JUNE 30 due to repair work on the spillway. Also note there will be NO ACCESS TO/FROM COLONIAL PARK VIA THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE. Please plan your routes accordingly.

View D&R Towpath / East Coast Greenway Closure in a larger map

Above is a map of the trail closure and one potential detour.  Be aware that the traffic volume on Amwell Road can be rather high and there is no shoulder.  Also the crossing at Manville / Weston Causeway can be tricky and extra caution should be taken.  Millstown River road is also a possibility detour but the traffic can be high in this road as well.

Noting the above hazards, its a shame that the trail had to be closed for this entire stretch.  The spillway being reconstructed (red point) is north of the Colonial Park Bridge (green point).  It would have been nice to keep the trail open to the Colonial Park Bridge as a detour through the park (green line) would have eliminated the most hazardous Amwell Road leg.  However when I was there, the Amwell Road trailhead was being used as a staging area for the contractors and heavy equipment was being driven on the towpath.  Still, it would be nice to at least keep the part of the trail open when construction is not being done, like on weekends.

Another note of importance found on the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission website was this:

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission will be conducting a renovation and rehabilitation to the pedestrian bridge located at Bulls Island Recreation Area Day Use Area. The foot bridge will be CLOSED to the public between SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 TO FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013. Please plan your routes accordingly.

View Larger Map

As many of you know, the elegant suspension footbridge over the Delaware connecting Bulls Island and Lumberville PA is an important connection for many cyclists.  The next closest bridges at Stockton and Frenchtown are miles away.  I crossed the bridge just 11 days ago and no notices were posted of the pending two month closure as of yet.

Middlesex Greenway opens in grand fashion on Sep. 15

Like the Greenway itself, this post is a little late in coming.

After twenty years in the making, the Middlesex Greenway opened in grand fashion on Saturday, September 15th.  The  mayors of Edison, Metuchen and Woodbridge, three towns that the Greenway traverses, along with numerous Freeholders and a US Senator were all in attendance.  While there are still a few details that need to be completed before the initial 3.5 mile trail segment is entirely complete, the popularity of the trail was readily apparent on the grand opening Saturday as at least one hundred people were observed using the trail, most of whom were not attending the grand opening ceremonies.

Some of the dozens of users seen on the Greenway.

It was interesting to see that this grand opening event attracted the attendance of Senator Bob Menendez.  Support for bike and pedestrian infrastructure would seem to make good politics.

Senator Bob Menendez speaks at the trail opening.

This project was spearheaded by the group Edison Greenways and not enough can be said of their persistence to get the project to this point.  Also of significant importance to the project was the East Coast Greeway Alliance that designated a portion of the Middlesex Greenway as a part of the 3,000 mile East Coast Greanway years before the first construction crews started work.  Being designated a segment of the East Coast Greenway has acted as a catalyst to get many trail, sidewalk, bike/ped bridge and even bike lane projects built here in New Jersey and in many other states that the East Coast Greenway passes.

Mike and Anne Kruimer of the East Coast Greenway Alliance pause on the bridge over US Route 1 built several years ago by NJDOT for the Middlesex Greenway as part of a highway renovation project.

This project also has great potential for providing a Safe Routes to School.  The Herbert Hoover Middle School of Edison is directly adjacent to the trail.  The new bridge over US Route 1 built by NJDOT now provides a nearly traffic free route for Edison students who live on the west side of Route 1 and might attend the school.  Middle school age children were seen riding their bikes almost every time this author traversed the bridge over US Route 1.


View Middlesex Greenway in a larger map

Finally, it is hoped by greenway planners and advocates that this 3.5 mile segment is only the beginning.  To the west there are already plans in Metuchen to extend the Greenway to the limits of the Metuchen boarder and possibly beyond.  On the eastern end there are tentative plans to extend the trail over the Garden State Parkway and into Perth Amboy.  This addition would greatly increase the transportation utility of the Middlesex Greenway.  However, even though the train tracks over the Parkway haven't been used for years, the railroad company has plans to reactivate the tracks in the future to service warehouses, industry and a possible port on the Raritan River in Edison.

Either way, the Edison Greenway is greatly welcomed  recreation and transportation amenity in northern Middlesex County and many hope that this will be the first of a number of other rail trail and other similar multiuse trail projects in the county.

For more photo's see the slide show below. All photo's in this post and below slide show are copyrighted and are the sole property of Andrew J. Besold.

"The Circuit" Promises To Make Trail Connections Beyond The Philadelphia Region

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and dignitaries from both sides of the Delaware River made the formal announcement for "The Circuit". A 750 mile regional trail network that cover all of the Greater Philadelphia Region including Mercer, Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties.

Delaware & Raritan Canal Towpath repaired and resurfaced

The Delaware & Raritan Canal Towpath is in the process of being resurfaced to repair flood damage from Hurricane Irene back in September.  Much of the work is likely to have already been completed but there could still be some rough spots particularly in the area south of South Bound Brook which saw some very bad damage.  From the look of things that I saw, the towpath looked as good as it was just prior the Hurricane Irene and likely better.

The freshly resurfaced pathway at the Manville Causeway.

However, it would appear that once again no binding agent was used to help cement the crushed red shale aggregate together from water caused erosion.  A quick and low effort pawing at the surface with my shoe easily put a divot in the surface an inch deep.  This calls into question whether the trail surface will just wash away again in the next flood just as I predicted the first time I reported the trail resurfacing nearly two years ago.  

In other D&R news, there is a minor but well marked detour in South Bound Brook as some sort of major earth moving is being done between the canal path and the Raritan River near the Queens Bridge over the Raritan.  Fortunately, when the factory site was redeveloped in S. Bound Brook a number of years ago, the old train bridge that went over the canal to access the old factory was saved and an access path was built to allow easy and convenient access to the canal from the local neighborhood (many locals could be seen accessing the towpath when I stopped for a quick look).  This wise move years ago is now paying off as this access now provides a critical function allowing for a simple and safe detour and not one that would require trail users to ride on a dangerous section of Easton Ave near Interstate 287.

Oh yeah!  Don't forget that the D&R Canal Towpath is a large and vital link of the East Coast Greenway here in New Jersey.

East Coast Greenway Alliance announces major advancement in New Jersey

The East Coast Greenway Alliance made this announcement in its December Newsletter about a major breakthrough that has closed the gap between Newark and Jersey City.

The largest gap in the alignment of the East Coast Greenway as it passes through New Jersey has just been completed! For the first time, pedestrians can walk along sidewalks between Jersey City and Newark – two of New Jersey’s largest cities.  New Jersey Department of Transportation recently constructed sidewalk along the ECG alignment of Truck Route 1 & 9 in Newark and Kearny. This links Lincoln Park in Jersey City, across Kearny, through the Ironbound section of Newark to Newark’s Penn Station. There are already ECG wayfinding signs in place the rest of the way across New Jersey, between Newark and Trenton.

Now that this new segment of sidewalk is available, ECG travelers will finally be able to travel 100% of the way across New Jersey under their own power – no trains needed! There is still advocacy work to do as we continue to improve this important secion of the Greenway. However, this is a huge step forward as there is finally a continuous sidewalk network between Newark and Jersey City for everyone to use!

The above was written by Mike Dannemiller, East Coast Greenway Alliance  New Jersey State Committee Co-Chair

Delaware & Raritan Canal Towpath severely damaged

As part of my work with the East Coast Greenway Alliance I spent some of my time last week inspecting the flood damage wrought by Hurricane Irene here in the New Brunswick area.  While the stretch that goes through Johnsons Park in Piscataway and Highland Park escaped relatively unscathed, the Delaware & Raritan Canal Towpath section just outside of New Brunswick suffered sever damage.

For much of its length the D&R Towpath lies in the flood plan of both the Raritan and Millstone Rivers leaving it highly susceptible to flood damage.  Unfortunately with record setting rains and high winds from Irene, it is no surprise that the damage was really bad on the section between Landing Lane in New Brunswick to Easton Ave at South Bound Brook.  This six mile section of the trail was barely passable last week.  What normally takes me less than half an hour to ride took me over two hours due to numerous blow-downs and sever scouring and erosion of the once smooth trail surface. It's safe to say that this section of the Towpath and East Coast Greenway is closed for the foreseeable future.

One of the more imposing blow-downs made more interesting by the poison ivy covering the blown down tree trunks.

Delaware & Raritain Canal Towpath flooded just about everywhere

Oh no! Not again!

Record setting flooding of the Raritan and Millstone Rivers in NJ has undoubtedly left 20 miles of the D&R Canal impassible from Landing Lane in New Brunswick to Rt 27 in Kingston. Be prepared to use  on-road alternatives until further notice, even after the flooding recedes, as damage to the unpaved trail is likely to be extensive.  You can check out the East Coast Greenway Alliance Facebook page for updates.

Also, the canal towpath along the feeder canal that runs along the Delaware River from Trenton to Millford is also likely underwater in places.  Luckily, it seems that the flooding on the Delaware was not as bad as forecast by the USGS.

Help Jersey City preserve and create its own High Line

The below comes from the Embankment Preservation Coalition in Jersey City.  For those of you that don't know, the  "Embankment" is the old Harsimus Stem Embankment which is an elevated stone structure that once carried seven tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad to the Hudson River Waterfront.   

Like the incredibly successful High Line across the Hudson in the once derelict Meatpacking District, the Embankment has the potential to completely transform and improve this part of Jersey City.  If allowed to be turned into a park, the Embankment would become a linchpin in a network of walkable, bikeable greenways within the City of Jersey City, and beyond.  The East Coast Greenway Alliance would even like to use the Embankment as the permanent, off-road route of the East Coast Greenway which would connect to the Meadowlands via the Bergen Arches to the west.

Now the message from the Embankment Preservation Coalition:

VOTE EMBANKMENT

Help the Embankment Preservation Coalition win up to $25,000 in the National Trust for Historic Preservation "This Place Matters" Community Challenge. The Trust selected us from 250 entrants to compete with 99 others in the challenge.

Concept: Embankment looking west from Erie & 6th.       RomanP.com

Now It's Up to You!

As of this weekend, we rank #10 out of 100 participants.
To bring a prize home, we need your vote!

Just click on embankment.org
for instructions.

Voting ends June 30.
Anyone with a valid email may vote.
You do not need to be a New Jersey resident.
Please vote and forward to Facebook, Twitter - help us Get out the Vote!

The Very Last Call for The Big Walk!

The following comes to us from the fine folks at Freewalkers and the East Coast Greenway Alliance. Sorry but I just couldn't get the formatting just right on the text box to the left:

50 miles - May 21, 2011 38 miles - April 9, 2011 12 miles - April 16, 2011

Dear Walkers, It's just a few days before - The Big Walk - coming up on Saturday May 21st. Now, I hear it might be Judgment Day too! What better way to go out than with an attempt at walking 50 miles! I guarantee that even your sub-50 mile efforts will not go unnoticed! We got a big Union County welcoming ceremony in store for us in Cranford at the train station along with guests, press, and plenty of breakfast food to get you going and keep you going throughout the day provided by the ECGA, Union County Parks Dept. and a new sponsor! - Koenig Russo and Associates, LLc,  Certified Public Accountants of Roselle Park. If you have not walked with us yet in a FreeWalkers event, you'll find that the people, the pace, the trail and the spirit of the group will provide the necessary mix for you to achieve your own personal best. You can set your own pace, come into and drop off the walk at various spots and bring your friends along too. The only thing you need to do is show up and try your best. May 21, 2011 - Metropark to NYC - The Big Walk or Signup What's it Like to Walk that Long? Here's the official event video and photos from last year: We're posting photos, feedback and some preliminary stats on our recent walks - Great Canal Walk (April 9, 2011 - 40 miles) and the Tween Walk (April 16, 2011 - 12 miles). If you walked either event please complete the survey so that we can finish the final list of participants by next week. Great Canal Walk - blogs, photos, take survey, see survey results The Tween Walk - blogs, photos, take survey, see survey results Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge Too The Big Walk is a great way to add the miles walked to your total for the 100-mile Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge! It's our 100-mile crossing of the entire state. You can do this too. If you walk any of our previous walks this year the mileage counts toward the 100. All you have to do to qualify is register and log your mileage. And, you have until the end of the year to finish the 100 miles. Prizes await for this hearty bunch. With Medals for All A free personalized dog tag will given to anyone who signs up online and walks the "The Big Walk" on May 21, 2011. - regardless of how long they walk. The free dog tag souvenir personally embossed with your name and accomplishment, has become a FreeWalkers tradition.The East Coast Greenway Alliance helps us provide this nice award to everyone. Please generously support their efforts in maintaining this unique trail by giving to their cause. Paul Kiczek Program Leader paul@crossjerseywalk.org Donate or Join East Coast Greenway Please Give. I'm reaching out to everyone to consider a small donation to the East Coast Greenway. You may have noticed that we added a "Giving" menu selection and we are now posting a notice on the home page asking that you consider joining as a member or donating to this remarkable 3,000 mile trail non-profit project. $40 will get you an adult membership, with even more favorable rates for students, families, and seniors. Consider asking friends and family to donate to your walking effort at $1 a mile as a way to have others help you and the Greenway. Here's a link to the donation page. Please consider a donation. Thanks for your interest in the Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge. Feel free to contact us at info@crossjerseywalk.org if you have any questions or suggestions. Learn More >> Next Challenge Event Website: NJ2NY50.org FreeWalkers Website: FreeWalkers.org East Coast Greenway Website: greenway.org Related Knol: The 50-Mile Hike Phenomenon Facebook Page : Cross-Jersey Walking Chalenge - Fan Page Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CROSSJERSEYWALK

Bike news (good and bad) to start Bike to Work Week

Sorry the blog has been quite for a while.  There is always so much to do in May for me personally since I'm as much an avid gardener as I am a cyclist and there are so many plants to get into the ground in these weeks.  I'm also working two jobs, with one being with a well respected bike/ped advocacy group that keeps me going to bike events just about every weekend day during this Bike Month (rough job but someones got to do it).

Anyway, there are two interesting bike/ped related stories floating around the internet today; one good and one bad ... very bad.

First the "Good" - The New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition used Bike Month and Bike to Work Week as an opportune time to introduce itself to greater New Jersey with this Op-Ed piece in The Times of Trenton.  It got good placement in the paper today and will hopefully get some more press in a few of the other New Jersey papers this week.

The "Bad" is REALLY bad - The New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition is also reporting that the NJDOT is requesting to drop funding from a project that would have provided sidewalks and bike lanes on a section of Rt 7 in Kearny.  This project would be the start of providing a critical bicycle and pedestrian link between Newark and Jersey City.  These facilities would also be a part of the East Coast Greenway.  Currently there are no practical or safe options for pedestrians or bicyclists wishing to travel between New Jersey's two largest cities. 

If this is all true, such an action by NJDOT again calls into question if NJDOT is truly committed to the spirit of its nation leading Complete Streets policy.

D & R Canal Commission on the block. Why you should care.

You learn something new everyday.

Just recently I learned that the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission has been proposed to be eliminated by NJ DEP Commissioner Bob Martin under the premise that the functions that the Canal Commission performs are replicated in the DEP's State Historic Preservation Office and the Land Use Regulation Program.  That may be so on paper but the Canal Commission has a superb track record of efficiency and since their sole purpose is to protect and maintain the water resource, historic nature of the D&R Canal and the recreation opportunities that the Canal and park provides, it is only natural that the Commission would be able to do a better job at protecting the Canal and maintaining the towpath since that is all they focus on.

Could beautiful sights like this along the D&R Canal become a thing of the past?

A press release by the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association has this to say about the role the Canal Commission plays in maintaining the recreation opportunities along the D&R Canal:

How was that Congressional Ride on the D&R Canal?

This past weekend around 50 people joined the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition (note the name), the East Coast Greenway Alliance, Trenton Cycling Revolution and the West Windsor Bicycle & Pedestrian Alliance to ride and celebrate the newly-constructed portion of the D&R Canal Path in Trenton. This portion of the Canal was lost long ago when NJDOT covered the canal to build the Freeway section of Route US 1. The new section of trail was built along side an active but rarely used freight line and around several billboards (oddly enough it was the billboards that cause more trouble than the train tracks - watch Rush Holt's comments in video).


View D&R Canal Final Link in a larger map

Joining the above groups in celebrating the completion of this trail were several elected representatives. Most notable was Congressman Rush Holt (Democrat 12th District) and Assemblywoman Grace Spencer (Democrat 23rd District - Newark / Hillside) (Grace gets extra kudos for coming down all the way from Newark and riding with us. PS - This lady can ride!!).

Here is a video that Paige of the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition did of the opening speeches given by the present elected representatives.




Here are some pictures of the ride to the Battle Monument in Trenton from the Brearley House in Lawrenceville, including the new section of trail. Also don't forget to check out the video of the new trail made by John at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

NJB&WC President Jim Nicholson shakes Congressman Rush Holt's
hand for a job well done by the Congressman in helping complete the trail.

Riders along a well established section of D&R Canal Towpath.

Cyclists ride down the ramp to the bridge over US Route 1.

Cyclists enjoy the new section of trail in Trenton.

Another view along the new section of trail.

Cyclists arrive at the beautiful Trenton Battle Monument.


Riders return back to the Bearley House by crossing the canal to continue on the trail.

POSTPONED!! - Critical Public Hearing Feb 10, Regarding ECG

This just in.

The public meeting about replacing the NJ TRANSIT Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in the Meadowlands and possibly installing a pathway over the new bridge for the East Coast Greenway, has been postponed. Originally scheduled for this Wednesday, the meeting has been postponed due to the likelihood of heavy snow fall tomorrow. The meeting will likely be rescheduled sometime in late March. WalkBikeJersey will let you know about the new meeting time the moment we get that info into our offices.

For further discussion please see our previous post.

Critical Public Hearing Feb 10, Regarding ECG

UPDATE!!! - MEETING POSTPONED!

For further information see this post.

The below message comes directly from Michael Oliva, the Mid-Atlantic Trail Coordinator for the East Coast Greenway Alliance. I can't make this one but I hope some of you from Northern Jersey can show your support.
-Andy B.

Dear Friends:

The East Coast Greenway, the developing 3000-mile bike route connecting cities from Maine to Florida, has long seen the Meadowlands crossing as the most difficult nut to crack along the entire route. But for the first time, we see a possible opening.

NJ Transit is building 2 new rail bridges across the Hackensack River (a “north” span and a “south” span adjacent to the current Portal Bridge, which will be put out of commission), and taking 2.5 acres of parkland from Hudson County to build a new rail facility. By law, they must give back to the County. State law mandates that NJ Transit must compensate Hudson County by providing one of the following: either (1) double the acreage being taken, (2) double the dollar value of the taken land, or (3) a combination of replacement land and financial compensation. We want that mitigation to take the form of 2 miles of ECG trail in Hudson County, including a bike & ped path on the new southern Hackensack River bridge, to bring the ECG off-road from Belleville Turnpike in Kearny to West Side Avenue in Jersey City, adjacent to Hudson Generating Station (see attached maps). Two miles of trail, in a 20’ wide corridor, comes to 5 acres: that’s double the area of the land being taken, meeting the letter of the law.

But to accomplish this, we need your help. On Wednesday, February 10, from 6 to 8:30 pm, there will be a critical public hearing at Secaucus Public Library (1379 Paterson Plank Rd; map here). We urge your attendance. If there is a strong show of support for a bike-ped facility, we can get NJDEP and Hudson County on our side, creating a full-court press on NJ Transit. Public support is imperative; without it, success is unlikely.

In the 18 years since the East Coast Greenway was conceived, this is the best opportunity we've seen to build part of the ECG across the Meadowlands. Can we count on your support? Please contact mike@greenway.org if you have questions, or to let us know that you'll be there.

Thank you!

Dennis, Mike & Eric
East Coast Greenway Alliance

ECG Proposed Route Using New Portal Rail Bridge (Click to enlarge)

ECG Proposed Route - Close Up (Click to enlarge)

Public Notice (Click to enlarge)