Construction To Begin At Woodbridge Waterfront Park

Construction is set to begin on a more than 100-acre Waterfront Park in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge.

Mayor John E. McCormac, the Woodbridge Redevelopment Agency, the Brownfields Development Area Steering Committee, and members of a public/private development partnership, held a news conference earlier this week to announce that construction will begin at the Woodbridge Waterfront Park.

According to a township news release:

The park will be located at the Raritan River waterfront in the Keasbey Redevelopment Zone.

“Four years ago almost to the day - Oct. 28, 2011 - we were on this site to announce the start of remediation of 100-plus acres of wetlands that would become the Woodbridge Waterfront Park – the single-largest environmental restoration project ever undertaken along the Raritan River in Woodbridge,” McCormac said in a prepared statement. “Today, we are announcing the long-awaited next step in the ecological restoration of the wetlands site remediation - the start of actual construction of the walkways and observation platform that will be the heart of the Woodbridge Waterfront Park.”

The remediation project includes:


• “restoration of the natural wetland habitat
• “the planting of more than two million native plants which will transform the site into a diverse, functioning ecosystem of tidal wetlands, freshwater wetlands and enhanced upland areas.”

Some aspects of the project have already been completed, including:

• “Creation of approximately 10-acres of fresh water wetlands;
• “Enhancement of over 30-acres of fresh water wetlands;
• “Enhancement of approximately 12-acres of tidal wetlands;
• “The planting of over 500,000 herbaceous plantings and over 12,000 trees and shrubs.”

Now crews are working to create a lined pond, with more than 6 acres of open water, and to enhance another 30 acres upland.

The project is expected to be finished next year and it will allow the public to have direct access to the Raritan River from Woodbridge.

Upon completion, the project will include:

• “Approximately 30-acres of nature area with restored wetlands/uplands;
• “Over 7,000 feet of walking trails circling the restored wetlands;
• “800 feet of boardwalk overlooking natural wetland areas;
• “A viewing platform/overlook at the Raritan River;
• “Bird blinds for observing wildlife;
• “Interpretive/educational signs;
• “Gathering spaces with seating;
• “Bus parking for school outings/trips.”

The park is part of the former Nuodex property which shut down in 1984. In 1991, the site was acquired by EPEC Polymers, and since the 1990s, “the site has been undergoing remedial investigation and clean-up.”

It was designed as a Brownfields Development Area by the state Department of Environmental Protection in 2009.

“Once the BDA was in place, the Woodbridge Redevelopment Agency coordinated efforts to designate the Keasbey Redevelopment Area which includes the CPV-Woodbridge Energy Center - a $1 billion state-of-the-art, natural gas-fired electrical generation power plant and energy complex slated to be operational in early 2016; the FedEx Ground Transportation Terminal & Warehouse, Wakefern Food Corporation, and Graydell,” the news release said.

Among those at this week’s announcement were: McCormac, representatives of the Brownfields Development Area (BDA) Steering Committee, Anthony Findley, BDA Case Manager, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Steve Kessel, Brown & Caldwell Engineers, representatives of USA Environmental, LLC, and Caroline Ehrlich, Executive Director, Woodbridge Redevelopment Agency.

Photos courtesy Woodbridge Township