NJ section of 2900-mile biking path opened

A new New Jersey section of a 2900-mile biking/pedestrian path, the East Coast Greenway, is now open.

Sometimes called the urban Appalachian trail, more than a million people a year pass along some of the East Coast Greenway. It is a 2900 mile biking and walking path that runs from Key West, Florida to the Canadian border.

It crosses dozens of cities and towns on sidewalks, old rail lines roads and roads. A two mile stretch between Jersey City and Newark, New Jersey is officially open. It may not be the greenest or prettiest or widest stretch, but it's an important link.

The New Jersey portion of the Greenway covers 97 miles between Pennsylvania and New York. It passes through bustling urban areas — Trenton, New Brunswick, Newark, and Jersey City — as well as quiet suburban settings and more rural landscapes than one might expect. The route is currently 55% on traffic-free paths, the second highest percent of completed trail in any Greenway state. The route includes the ECG’s longest completed trail segment – the D&R Canal Towpath, which is 34.3 miles long.

The concept, which originated in New York City twenty years ago, is one of the largest public projects being developed in the country.

Between the end of the D&R Canal Towpath and the northern end of the New Jersey route in Jersey City, travelers alternate between park paths and interim on-road sections. 

A ferry is used to cross the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York, and the bike/ped friendly Calhoun Street Bridge crosses the Delaware River between NJ and PA.

Trail Status and Plans

Download a NJ Trail Map (pdf)
Publications
NJ Partners and Supporters
More information on biking and trails in New Jersey

Watch a VIDEO REPORT: NJ section of 2900-mile biking path opened | Fox News

Walk Across Jersey

The 2011 Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge from the East Coast Greenway Alliance and FreeWalkers.org is free and open to the public. It challenges you to walk 100 miles across the entire state – from Trenton to New York City within the next 12 months – along the East Coast Greenway.

The East Coast Greenway runs the length of the Eastern seaboard from the top of Maine all the way to Key West, a total distance of about 3,000 miles.

Part of this effort is to add advocates of alternative transportation who are interested in helping build better and healthier communities.

If you become a registered walker, you can enter and track progress at their website during the year.

You can walk when you want, alone or with friends, or join the FreeWalkers on one or all of the three free organized group walks that in combination will cover the entire 100-mile stretch of the ECG through New Jersey.

April 9, 2011 is the The Great Canal Walk (Trenton to New Brunswick)

April 16, 2011 - New Brunswick to Metropark


May 21, 2011 - The Big Walk (Metropark to Penn Sta. NYC)

http://crossjerseywalk.org