Essex - Hudson Greenway

Last updated
Essex - Hudson Greenway
NJMeadowsHackRiverErieRR&NJTpike.tiff
The right of way at (at left) crossing the Meadowlands
Lengthapprox. 8.63 mi (54.7 km) [a]
Location Essex and Hudson, New Jersey
Trailheads Croxton, Jersey City
40°44′36″N74°04′02″W / 40.743342°N 74.067163°W / 40.743342; -74.067163 ,
Bay Street, Montclair
40°48′40″N74°12′24″W / 40.811019°N 74.206749°W / 40.811019; -74.206749
Use shared-use

The Essex - Hudson Greenway is proposed state park and greenway in the northerneastern New Jersey counties of Essex and Hudson. It will follow an abandoned railroad right of way (ROW) across the New Jersey Meadowlands, the Hackensack and Passaic rivers, as well pass through as densely-populated neighborhods. The nearly 9-mile (14 km) long shared-use linear park/rail trail will encompass nearly 135 acres (55 ha) and will average 100 feet (30 m) in width. Running between Jersey City and Montclair it will pass through Secaucus (where it will run concurrently with the Hackensack River Greenway), Arlington in northern Kearny, North Newark, Belleville, Bloomfield and Glen Ridge. [1] [2] In 2021 NJ Transit authorized studies for alternative options to the Meadowlands Sports Complex, including a bus "transitway" along the ROW. [3] [4] [5] The East Coast Greenway in would be partially re-routed to run along the new greenway.

Contents

Railroad right-of-way

In 1878, New York and Greenwood Lake Railway, was created from a consolidation of several smaller railroads, with service provided but the Erie Railroad [6] In 1887, the Erie created a new subsidiary, the Arlington Railroad, to create a new, more direct ROW in the Kearny Meadows between the Hackensack River and Passaic River. [7] In 1897, it opened the DB Draw over the Hackensack and the WR Draw over the Passaic providing the company a modernized ROW from its Pavonia Terminal through the Long Dock Tunnel and across the Meadows. The eastern portion in Hudson County was also used by the Newark Branch. The property was acquired directly in 1943 by the Erie. In 1960 the Erie merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad to create the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad and services were consolidated at Hoboken Terminal via the Bergen Tunnels.

Conrail operated commuter rail on the line from 1976 to 1982 on behalf of the New Jersey Department of Transportation to 1982, when New Jersey Transit Rail Operations (NJ TRansit) took over. When Conrail was split in 1999 Norfolk Southern Railway came into possession of the line. NJ Transit provided communter service on its Boonton Line until 2002, when eastern part (Montclair to Hoboken) closed after a new alignment, the Montclair Connection, was built and Montclair-Boonton Line services began. Service at three stations was discontinued. Service at other stations on the line had previously been stopped.

Abandonment of ROW and purchase by state

Although the ROW was not officially abandoned, proponents of early efforts to create a greenway called the plan the Ice & Iron Rail Trail because of its historical use as a freight line carrying iron and ice from western New Jersey to the Port of New York and New Jersey. [8] [9] [10] [11]

In 2020, Norfolk Southern (NS) officially abandoned an 8.63-mile (13.89 km) section (milepost WD 2.9 to milepost WD 11.5) of the rail line [12] and the Open Space Institute (OSI) reached a preliminary sale agreement with NS for the property. [13] [14] [15] They commissioned Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects to develop a framework plan, produced in March 2023. [16]

In 2021 NJ Transit authorized a study to use a portion the rail ROW as bus "transitway". [17] [18] [19] [20]

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which manages state parks and forests, acquired the property on August 19, 2022. The state purchased the ROW from NS for $65 million. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] It is expected site preparation will begin in 2023, with initial opening about one year later. [23]

Route

Saw Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area NJ Turnpike Western Spur Jersey tpke hackensack.jpg
Saw Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area NJ Turnpike Western Spur
WR Draw over Riverbank Park, Passaic River, and McCarter Highway KearnyRiverbankParkboathouse.JPG
WR Draw over Riverbank Park, Passaic River, and McCarter Highway
Broadway North Newark North Newark sta NY&GW Broadway steps cloudy jeh.jpg
Broadway North Newark
ROW at Rowe Street station site Rowe Street Station.jpg
ROW at Rowe Street station site

The greenway will run between in Croxton in Jersey City ( 40°44′36″N74°04′02″W / 40.743342°N 74.067163°W / 40.743342; -74.067163 ) just west of U.S. Route 1/9, nearby the Bergen Arches, a disused rail tunnel, with potential connection to the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway and Montclair at the Montclair-Boonton Line near Bay Street station ( 40°48′40″N74°12′24″W / 40.811019°N 74.206749°W / 40.811019; -74.206749 ). In Secaucus it would run concurrently with the planned route of the Hackensack River Greenway. In Essex County a portion would run concurrently with the September 11th National Memorial Trail. [26]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Why NJ's Essex-Hudson Greenway Will be a Game-Changer for Commuters, City Residents". New Jersey Monthly. January 21, 2022. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  2. ↑ Tully, Tracey (September 16, 2022). "31 Bridges, 2 Cities, 6 Towns: Greenway Is New Jersey's High Line". New York Times. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  3. ↑ Higss, Larry (August 26, 2021). "Amid questions, NJ Transit takes first steps to new Transitway to American Dream, MetLife stadium". NJ Advance Media for nj.com. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  4. ↑ Katzban, Nicolas, Wilson, Colleen. "New Jersey Transit Board approves $3.5 million contract for new bus line to Meadowlands". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  5. ↑ "PROJECT SHEET SECAUCUS TO MEADOWLANDS (BOONTON) TRANSITWAY" (PDF). NJ Transit.
  6. 1 2 "Essex- Hudson and Hackensack Greenway Plans Moving Forward". EarthShare New Jersey.
  7. ↑ "New Branch of the Erie" (PDF), The New York Times, March 23, 1887, retrieved 2012-06-06
  8. ↑ Kaulessar, Ricardo. "11-mile railroad connecting Montclair to Jersey City could become a walking, biking trail". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  9. ↑ "Cyclists will ride 60 miles to N.J.'s capital to urge $65M purchase of rail line for bike trail". NJ Advance Media for nj.com. September 22, 2021. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  10. ↑ Leir, Ron (July 12, 2021). "Essex-Hudson Rail Trail Imperiled by Governor Murphy's Tepid Support". Jersey City Times. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  11. ↑ Hurdle, Jon (November 15, 2021). "Former rail line to get new life as cross-county 'greenway'". NJ Spotlight. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  12. ↑ Norfolk Southern Railway Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Hudson and Essex Counties, NJ A Notice by the Surface Transportation Board on 07/09/2020
  13. ↑ Kofsky, Jared (July 1, 2020). "Land Sale Could Advance Proposal for Greenway Between Jersey City and Montclair". Jersey Digs. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  14. ↑ Winters, Jaimie Julia (April 1, 2021). "Essex-Hudson Greenway could be purchased by year's end". Montclair Local News. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ Israel, Daniel (November 12, 2021). "New Jersey to help acquire rail line for Essex-Hudson Greenway". Hudson Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  16. ↑ Brey, Jared (April 2022). "Jersey Line" (PDF). Landscape Architect Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  17. ↑ Higgs, Larry (August 26, 2021). "Amid questions, NJ Transit takes first steps to new Transitway to American Dream, MetLife stadium". nj.com. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  18. ↑ Katzban, Colleen Wilson and Nicholas. "New Jersey Transit Board approves $3.5 million contract for new bus line to Meadowlands". North Jersey Media Group.
  19. ↑ "PROJECT SHEET SECAUCUS TO MEADOWLANDS (BOONTON) TRANSITWAY" (PDF).
  20. ↑ Baldwin, Carly (August 26, 2021). "NJT Wants To Launch Bus Service From Secaucus To American Dream". Patch News. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  21. ↑ "New Jersey buys Norfolk Southern right-of-way for linear park". trains.com. November 16, 2021. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  22. ↑ "Murphy Announces Historic Acquisition of Former Rail Line and Intent to Create New 9-Mile Linear State Park & Transitway". Insider NJ. November 12, 2021.
  23. 1 2 Koosau, Mark (September 17, 2022). "Gov. Murphy announces purchase of rail line for Essex-Hudson Greenway". Hudson Reporter.
  24. ↑ Gill, Brendan W. (January 10, 2022). "This green pathway through cities and suburbia will embody the best of New Jersey". Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  25. ↑ Roll, Erin. "Proposed greenway trail in Essex County takes another step forward". Montclair Local News.
  26. ↑ Mroz, Jacqueline (January 21, 2022). "How NJ's Essex-Hudson Greenway Will Connect to Other East Coast Trails". New Jersey Monthly.
  27. 1 2 Access to the Region's Core in Hudson County, New Jersey and New York County, New York: Final Environmental Impact Statement 4.10: Parklands (PDF) (Report). 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  28. ↑ Access to the Region's Core in Hudson County, New Jersey and New York County, New York: Environmental Impact Statement. 2008. p. 10.
  29. ↑ "Hackensack River Guide" (PDF). New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  30. ↑ https://meri.njmeadowlands.gov/mesic/sites/existing-restoration-preservation-mitigation-sites/saw-mill-creek-wildlife-management-area-2/
  31. ↑ https://meri.njmeadowlands.gov/mesic/sites/candidate-restoration-sites/kearny-brackish-marsh-2/
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