What is the North Jersey Trail Network Initiative?
The New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition and Rails to Trails Conservancy are partnering to create the North Jersey Trail Network Initiative (NJTN). We’re embarking on an exciting journey to create a cohesive trail network for the North Jersey Region. The NJTN initiative aims to connect communities, promote outdoor recreation, and enhance our quality of life through well-designed, accessible trails, including shared-use paths, and local connections. The trails will enable safe, vehicle-free commuting, allowing people to move from place to place conveniently, whether for work, errands, or meeting others.
The initiative focuses on the six northeast counties—Morris, Passaic, Essex, Bergen, Hudson, and Union— as well as the highly dense areas of Newark and Jersey City. This region constitutes the northeast half of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s (NJTPA) 13-county footprint and 57% of their total covered population (4.1 million of 7.2 million). Building on NJTPA’s North Jersey Regional Active Transportation Plan, we aim to combine priority trail projects from individual counties with a regional perspective, including opportunities for cross-county projects. We plan to connect several through trails in the region, including the Greenway (formerly the Essex-Hudson Greenway), the 9/11 National Memorial Trail, and the East Coast Greenway.
Through the visioning process, we’ll partner with the community to identify priority corridors and create a network map of crucial connections across the region. We’re committed to working with our agency partners to study and build out the trail network by developing the necessary infrastructure and creating supportive and engaging programming for trail users. These projects will be designed to be funding-ready, ensuring they can be swiftly implemented to benefit our communities. Together, we’ll pave the way for a more connected and active future.
MORE INFO ON THIS EXCITING INITIATIVE TO COME!