Plan To Create North Jersey Greenway Finds Support In Belleville

BELLEVILLE, NJ — It’s a “once in a generation opportunity” for North Jersey, some say.

Last week, the Belleville Public Library hosted a virtual discussion about the Essex-Hudson Greenway Project, a proposed biking/hiking path that would be built on 8.6 miles of unused railroad tracks (watch the video below).

If it gets the green light – no pun intended – the path would cross through eight towns: Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Jersey City, Kearny, Montclair, Newark and Secaucus.

• See related article: Plan To Build Hike/Bike Path In NJ Picks Up Steam (PHOTOS)

According to a social media post from the library:

“A once-in-a-generation opportunity exists to create nearly nine miles of linear park in northern New Jersey. A new greenway, spanning Essex and Hudson counties, will improve access to nature and create new recreational and transportation opportunities.”

The plan also got a thumbs-up from Belleville Mayor Michael Melham, who wrote that it would be a “game changer” for the township.

“I’ve walked the High Line in New York and I love it,” Melham said. “That linear park is only about one and a half miles along. Imagine how many recreational, entertainment and environmental benefits there would be in a nearly nine-mile long Essex Hudson Greenway.”

Councilman Vincent Cozzarelli, a member of Belleville’s Green Team, is also a strong proponent of the plan.

Cozzarelli said that many roads in Belleville would “seamlessly connect” with the proposed path.

“There will be part of Branch Brook Park that will go right into it,” he said. “The greenway will connect a lot of areas in town to each other. We can’t wait to see it come to life.”

A presentation on the proposal is planned for the Belleville Township Council meeting on April 13.

In addition to the Open Space Institute, stakeholders in the project include the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition and the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance. Other local groups, such as the Bloomfield Open Space Trust Fund and the Friends of the Ice & Iron Trail have also advocated for the proposed trail.

The oft-discussed project took a big leap forward in August 2020, when the Open Space Institute announced it reached a tentative deal to buy the property from the Georgia-based Norfolk Southern Railway Company.

• See related article: Bike, Hike From Montclair To Jersey City? Plan Leaps Forward

In recent months, the greenway has also picked up steam from the county boards of commissioners in Essex and Hudson, who both passed resolutions in its support. The plan has also found support from environmental groups such as the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Recently, urban explorer, Weird NJ correspondent and photojournalist Wheeler Antabanez documented a journey to the old Boonton Line where the proposed greenway would be located. See photos from his walk here.

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