Asking for support from municipalities around New Jersey, including Springfield, The East Coast Greenway Alliance is moving forward with the creation of a 2,600-mile path that-runs from Maine to Florida, including 17 miles that go straight through Union County.
More than 10 years ago, cyclists, hikers, and joggers from
the New England and Mid-Atlantic region met to discuss the beginning of their
nonprofit organization. -
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Now, the county is on the way to linking a multi-use trail from Maine to the Rahway River Park.
The trail will go north into Clark through Linden and into Winfield Park, extending into Cranford and eventually through Kenilworth and into Union, offering nearby Springfield and Mountainside residents an opportunity to enjoy more open space.
After touching on Hillside, the path will hit Essex County's Weequahic Park.
"It's a wonderful facility that'll allow people to walk and travel in some very beautiful areas," said Helen Heumann, a member of the Springfield Environmental Commission.
Heumann added that it's a great opportunity to take advantage of the parks around the coast and state of New Jersey.
While funding has yet to be decided, as there has not been a need for construction or any other outdoor work, it is almost certain that there will be obstacles in completing the task.
According to Elizabeth Brody, chairwoman of the New Jersey Committee for East Coast Greenway, the hardest part of extending the path will come in Hudson County, where the use of an abandoned rail center will come into play. According to Brody, negotiations with the freight line in charge of the rail center are expected to be lengthy.
Besides Hudson County, Brody sees the Hackensack River to also be problematic, explaining that having on-sight bridge tenders would most likely be expensive.
In the meantime, the alliance is developing a cue sheet that will direct a promotional group through an interim route in October. While the route is safe, Brody said that the main difference comes in the fact that the interim path will require the use of many roads, which would conflict with the idea of absorbing nature and the surrounding parks.
"It serves two populations," said Brody, of the project that she estimates could take over a decade to be completed. "It helps local people to shop, go to school, go to the library, and just get around the area. At the same time, it allows people to enjoy getting exercise even more than they did before."
One of 15 chairpersons for each state involved in the project, Brody said that while people already use most of the routes involved, the connection and convenience of traveling many routes should encourage people to use the paths.
Courtesy of The Echo Leader - July 22, 2004 Issue
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