Raritan River Greenway

Last updated

The Raritan River Greenway is a proposed path in Somerset County, New Jersey that would link Branchburg Township to the East Coast Greenway with the Delaware and Raritan Canal trail in South Bound Brook. Raritan River Greenway is a priority park for Somerset County.

Contents

Completed sections

The longest completed section of the Raritan River Greenway is three miles (5 km) long and runs from a hill near Red Oak Way in Bridgewater to Nevius Street in Raritan. The hill at an elevation of seventy feet has a nice view of south side of the Raritan River. The dirt path from the top of the hill to a small parking lot (at the driveway for the Sellars Maintenance Facility on Old York Road) is part of county property that is undeveloped. Through the fence of the parking lot is the developed part of the trail, beginning as a gravel pathway bound by the Raritan Water Power Canal and the Raritan River. This part of the trail is in Duke Island Park in Bridgewater. Less than a quarter mile east, a paved bicycle path begins, which ends near an old railroad bridge near Woodmere Street. The gravel and dirt footpath continues along the canal and meets up with the bicycle path again near the old railroad bridge. The dirt pedestrian path continues on the much narrower strip of land between the canal and river until it reaches a small foot bridge at the end of Canal Street in Raritan. A new pedestrian bridge further west on Old York Road has been installed with parking provided for further access to the greenway. After reaching Raritan center, the greenway continues across a mowed field without a trail and under a tunnel beneath the Lyman Street Bridge. On the south side of the Lyman Street Bridge is a small sign with some history of the Raritan Power Canal. The Nevius Street Bridge, where the trail currently ends can be crossed by pedestrians and bicyclists into Hillsborough.

Future sections

With plans underway for the redevelopment of the Somerville landfill site on US 206 [1] and the rehabilitation of an old Raritan Woolen Mills into apartments, [2] the section from Nevius Street to US 206 would likely be the next section to be planned. This section would need a small bridge over the canal and a bridge over US 206. It would pass along the opposite bank from the Duke Farms estate and go over the old private railroad tracks of the Duke family. A third section connecting US 206 to the Delaware and Raritan Canal trail would be about three and a half miles long and would require five bridges over water, including two long bridges and two bridges over train tracks. The west route from Bridgewater to the Branchburg Trail [3] would be less than half a mile.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Route 28</span> State highway in central New Jersey, US

Route 28 is a state highway in the central part of New Jersey, United States that is 26.44 mi (42.55 km) long. Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 22 in Bridgewater Township, Somerset County while its eastern terminus is at Route 27 in Elizabeth, Union County. From its western terminus, Route 28 heads east through Raritan, intersecting County Route 567 and then U.S. Route 202 and U.S. Route 206 at the Somerville Circle before heading through the central part of Somerville. Past Somerville, the route interchanges with Interstate 287 in Bridgewater Township before intersecting many 500-series county roads including County Route 525 and County Route 527 in Bound Brook, County Route 529 in Dunellen, Middlesex County, County Route 531 in Plainfield, Union County, and County Route 509 in Westfield. Route 28 continues east, intersecting Route 59 and the Garden State Parkway in Cranford before heading to Elizabeth, where it crosses Route 439 before ending at Route 27. Route 28 is a two- to four-lane road its entire length that passes through suburban areas and runs within a close distance of New Jersey Transit’s Raritan Valley Line for much of its length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raritan River</span> Major river in the U.S. state of New Jersey

The Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware and Raritan Canal</span> United States historic place

The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, built in the 1830s, that connects the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia and New York City, transporting anthracite coal from eastern Pennsylvania during much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The canal allowed shippers to cut many miles off the existing route from the Pennsylvania Coal Region down the Delaware, around Cape May, and up the occasionally treacherous Atlantic Ocean coast to New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Coast Greenway</span> Long-distance hiking trail in the United States

The East Coast Greenway is a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991 with the goal to use the entire route with off-road, shared-use paths; as of 2021, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) of the route (35%) meets this criteria. In 2020, the Greenway received over 50 million visits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 202</span> Highway in the United States

U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware in the south to Maine in the north and traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The highway has borne the number 202 since at least 1936. Before this, sections of the highway were designated U.S. Route 122, as it intersected US 22 in New Jersey. Its current designation is based on its intersection with I-395 and SR 15 near US 2 in Maine, but it does not have a direct connection with US 2.

The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (UNJ&CC) was a United States-based railroad company established in 1872. It was formed by the consolidation of three existing companies: the Camden and Amboy Railroad, Delaware and Raritan Canal Company, and New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company. The Camden and Amboy and New Jersey Rail Road were among the earliest North American railroads. The Pennsylvania Railroad leased the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company in 1872.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass Central Rail Trail</span> Partially completed rail trail from Northampton, Massachusetts to Boston

The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) is a partially completed rail trail between Northampton, Massachusetts and Boston along the former right-of-way (ROW) of the Massachusetts Central Railroad. It currently has 59 miles (95 km) open, and 94.5 miles (152.1 km) are open or protected for trail development. When complete, it will be 104 miles (167 km) long through Central Massachusetts and Greater Boston, forming the longest rail trail in New England. Many sections of the trail, including the Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail and the Somerville Community Path, have been developed as separate projects but serve as part of the complete Mass Central Rail Trail. The Norwottuck Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the build and operation of the MCRT, maintains interactive maps of the MCRT and rail trails that connect with the MCRT, and other Massachusetts trails.

North Branch is an unincorporated community and hamlet located mostly within Branchburg Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. A portion of North Branch is located in Bridgewater Township. The hamlet of North Branch, located on both sides of the North Branch of the Raritan River, brings the ambiance of a small village and charm to the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohlone Greenway</span>

The Ohlone Greenway is a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) pedestrian and bicycle path in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The path is named for the Native American Ohlone, who live in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Line State Park Trail</span> Rail trail in Connecticut, US

Air Line State Park Trail is a rail trail and linear state park located in Connecticut. The trail is divided into sections designated South, North a piece of the East Coast Greenway, and the Thompson addition. An additional 3.6-mile spur to Colchester is sometimes designated as part of the Air Line trail. At the Massachusetts state line, the trail connects to the Southern New England Trunkline Trail, a 22-mile-long trail to Franklin, MA built on the same right-of-way. Since 2018, the town of Portland, CT has also maintained a 2.3-mile portion of the Air Line trail, connecting to the southern end of the state park at the town line with East Hampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park</span> State park in New Jersey, United States

Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park is a New Jersey state park along the Delaware and Raritan Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holland Brook</span> River in New Jersey, United States

Holland Brook is a tributary of the South Branch Raritan River in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D&R Canal Trail</span>

The D&R Canal trail is a recreational trail in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The 77-mile (124 km) trail is made up of three segments that transverse three counties: a canal towpath from New Brunswick to Trenton; a canal towpath/rail trail from Trenton to Bull's Island; and a rail trail from Bull's Island to Frenchtown. The three combined trails together form the largest completed trail in New Jersey. Much of the trail runs along the existing Delaware & Raritan Canal within the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 202 in New Jersey</span> Highway in New Jersey, U.S.

U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a U.S. Highway running from New Castle, Delaware northeast to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of New Jersey, the route runs 80.31 mi (129.25 km) from the New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge over the Delaware River at the Pennsylvania border in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County near Lambertville northeast to the New York border in Mahwah, Bergen County. Along the route's journey, it passes through a variety of suburban and rural environments, including the communities of Flemington, Somerville, Morristown, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Wayne, and Oakland as well as five counties: Hunterdon, Somerset, Morris, Passaic, and Bergen. US 202 encounters many major roads in New Jersey, including Route 31, US 206, US 22, Interstate 80 (I-80), US 46, Route 23, and Route 17. From Somerville to the New York border, US 202 generally runs within a close distance of I-287 and interchanges with that route several times. The road ranges from a four-lane freeway between Lambertville and Ringoes in Hunterdon County to a two-lane undivided road through much of the northern portion of the route. North of the Route 53 intersection in Morris Plains, US 202 is maintained by individual counties rather than the New Jersey Department of Transportation with a few exceptions.

Old York Road is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan "Naraticong Trail", also known as the Tuckaraming Trail. A memorial plaque to the friendship of the Naraticong tribe, who permitted the road to be built over their trail, is at the intersection of Old York Road and Canal in Raritan, NJ. The Swift Sure Stage Coach Line completed the journey between the two cities in two days and cost a few dollars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 22 in New Jersey</span> Highway in New Jersey

U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a United States Numbered Highway stretching from Cincinnati, Ohio, in the west to Newark, New Jersey, in the east. In New Jersey, the route runs for 60.53 miles (97.41 km) from the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge over the Delaware River in Phillipsburg, Warren County, to Interstate 78 (I-78), US 1/9, and Route 21 at the Newark Airport Interchange in Newark, Essex County. The road first heads through the Phillipsburg–Alpha area as a surface divided highway before running concurrent with I-78 through mountainous and agricultural sections of western New Jersey between Alpha and east of Clinton in Hunterdon County. For the remainder of the route, US 22 runs to the south of I-78 through mostly suburban areas as a four- to six-lane surface divided highway, passing through Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, and Essex counties. Along this portion, it intersects US 202 and US 206 in Somerville, I-287 in Bridgewater Township, and the Garden State Parkway in Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevius Street Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Nevius Street Bridge once carried car traffic across the Raritan River between Hillsborough Township and Raritan Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. In the 1840s a wooden bridge crossed at this location. The current 150-foot-long (46 m) bridge was built in 1886 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio. It is a double intersection Pratt truss bridge. The construction of the nearby John Basilone Veterans Memorial Bridge replaced the Nevius Street Bridge in 2005; the bridge now serves as a pedestrian bridge, connecting River Road in Hillsborough with the Raritan River Greenway. The bridge, described using its historic name, Raritan Bridge, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1992 for its engineering and method of construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Basilone Veterans Memorial Bridge</span>

The John Basilone Veterans Memorial Bridge is a bridge in New Jersey that crosses the Raritan River. The bridge was built in 2005 to replace the smaller Nevius Street Bridge built in 1886. The Nevius Street Bridge today functions as a pedestrian bridge. The bridge connects First Avenue and what used to be the short one way block of Lyman Street in Raritan with River Road in Hillsborough. After crossing into Hillsborough, the road curves to meet up with the old alignment with the Nevius Street Bridge. The bridge is named for local World War II hero, John Basilone. The bridge has a pedestrian tunnel underneath its northern approach, as part of the Raritan River Greenway.

The Middlesex Greenway is a 3.5 miles (5.6 km) rail trail in New Jersey Metuchen, Edison and Woodbridge. It is part of the Middlesex County Park System. It makes up a portion of the East Coast Greenway.

References

40°33′47″N74°38′06″W / 40.5629389°N 74.6351105°W / 40.5629389; -74.6351105