Carteret Expands Waterfront Walkway To Woodbridge Town Line

CARTERET, NJ — Within the next two years, Carteret will have a waterfront walkway along the Arthur Kill that will extend all the way south to the border of Woodbridge at Tuft’s Point.

Tuft's Point is an industrial area of Woodbridge that has no public waterfront access.

Construction on Carteret's long-awaited southern "Riverwalk" will begin this spring and should take up to 18 months to complete. Agate Construction Company was given a $10 million contract to build the walkway.

This is a 12-foot wide walkway, with railings on each side, that will extend from the Carteret Waterfront Park to Tuft's Point. The walkway can be used by the public for walking, jogging, wheelchairs or bicycling. The town will also build nature overlooks extending toward the water and benches along the walkway.

Lighting, educational signs and bike racks will also be built on it.

Perhaps the biggest news of all is that the existing old World World II-era U.S. Metals Refining pier, which is approximately 500 feet long and currently not accessible to the public, will be rehabilitated and open to public use as part of the walkway.

For the past several years now, Carteret has been on an ambitious, $60-million plan to open up access to its waterfront, formerly dominated by heavy industry. In 2019, Carteret opened its first-ever municipal marina, which can dock 185 boats. (The town was giving away free boat slips to Carteret residents when the marina first opened, but that may not still be the case.) Carteret Officially Opens Marina, Free Slips For Boro Residents (July 2019)

Future waterfront projects in Carteret include a northern walkway and development of the Dupont Chemical company’s property after remediation is completed.

“Carteret’s Waterfront Park is a regional destination for boating, fishing, recreation and access to the Arthur Kill River, an important coastal gateway,” said Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman. “The southern walkway will provide even more access to this beautiful waterfront, which was publicly inaccessible for generations.”

Carteret will pay for the walkway through $13.25 million in grants from the state Department of Environmental Protection, part of which are funded through a legal settlement between the state of New Jersey and Occidental Chemical Company.

The remaining funds will come from the town of Carteret, Middlesex County’s Open Space Trust Fund and other grant sources.

The walkway is built in part through an easement Carteret was granted as part of a settlement with United States Metals Refining Company, which previously owned and operated a 180-acre tract at 400 Middlesex Avenue. The easement gives the borough of Carteret the ability to construct, operate and maintain the walkway for public access use in perpetuity.

Be the first to know what's happening in your town and area. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss a minute of local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe