Plan To Build Hike, Bike Path Through 8 NJ Towns Picks Up Steam

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — When you look out your window and only see concrete and asphalt, it can be hard to get amped up for a long walk outdoors. But a proposed “greenway” in one of the most densely populated areas of New Jersey could soon give thousands of people a new reason to dust off their hiking boots and oil their bicycle chains.

According to its supporters, the Essex-Hudson Greenway Project would be a game changer for lovers of the outdoors living in North Jersey.

If it comes to fruition, the project would convert 8.6 miles of unused railroad tracks on the old Boonton Line into a 100-foot-wide biking/hiking path that crosses through eight towns: Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Belleville, Newark, Kearny, Secaucus and Jersey City.

See photos of the property as it currently stands in the gallery above this article.

The oft-discussed project took a big leap forward in August, 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

Since last summer, the project has continued to pick up buzz, finding new support from environmental groups such as the New Jersey Sierra Club.

“This trail will not only help protect open space but provide health and economic benefits to the community,” Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said last week.

“Many people living in these communities don’t have access to parks or even backyards,” Tittel continued. “This greenway project will help connect these urban areas and will provide a place for children and adults to enjoy nature.”

According to Tittel, the coronavirus pandemic has provided yet another reminder of why projects such as the greenway are needed.

“People are working from home and are quarantining and practicing social distancing,” Tittel said. “They need green places to go outside and enjoy nature, especially in these densely urban areas.”

It’s not just about recreation – it’s also about transportation, he added.

For example, the greenway would give people another way of traveling between the eight towns and accessing public transportation that can get them into New York City.

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.

After unanimously passing their resolution in September, the Essex County Board of Commissioners praised the greenway proposal in a media statement:

“In addition to providing a new outdoor recreation space for Essex and Hudson County residents, the EHG will connect the surrounding suburbs to three major urban hubs – Newark, Jersey City and New York City. This will enhance leisure time/non-work-related mobility throughout the region without relying on mass transportation or motor vehicles, and provide a viable commuting option for residents of the towns along its path. The greenway, through the access to additional recreational space and a long-term reduction in traffic and emissions, will improve the air quality of the region and the overall health of area residents.”

Board President Brendan Gill said the greenway would be a boost for underserved communities located along the rail line, particularly communities of color in the areas of Newark, Belleville and Bloomfield.

“The greenway would provide these communities with safe, recreational areas to exercise, enjoy the outdoors and improve their quality of life,” Gill said.

According to the Hudson County Board of Commissioners, who passed their resolution in October:

“In addition to its economic benefits, the creation of a new Essex-Hudson greenway offers a range of other environmental, transportation, and health benefits – especially as the public turns more and more towards local access to green space. The project offers potential to reduce traffic, improve transportation options for residents, and allow for improved infrastructure connectivity for things like broadband and emergency response.”

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.

A JOURNEY DOWN THE OLD BOONTON LINE

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.

Although the coronavirus was “stalking the land,” it was easy to remain socially distant for the entire trip to Bloomfield, said Antabanez, an Essex County resident.

“When I moved to Montclair in 2008, the old Boonton Line became one of my frequent haunts,” Antabanez recalled. “Whenever I needed a long stroll to clear my mind, I would inevitably find myself on the decommissioned tracks, sometimes walking as far as Belleville before turning around to walk the same amount of miles home.”

Antabanez, who has documented the demise of local landmarks such as the Overbrook Asylum in Cedar Grove, said the walk was inspired when he heard about the plan to revive the abandoned railway line.

“It occurred to me that if I was going to walk the entirety of the old Boonton Line, I had better do it now – just in case,” said Antabanez, who questions what will happen to the wildlife that inhabits the area if the proposed greenway is built.

See some images from his walk in the photo gallery above, and view the rest of his photos here.

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