Montclair officials say Essex-Hudson Greenway is 'amazing opportunity' for local economy
Calling it "an amazing opportunity,” Montclair officials held an information session Wednesday night about the proposed Essex-Hudson Greenway.
It was the first of several meetings to build support in the eight towns that would be bifurcated by the 11-mile biking and walking trail between Jersey City and Montclair, said Debra Kagan, a Montclair resident and executive director of New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition.
Other municipalities on the trail are Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Belleville, Newark, Kearny and Secaucus.
Building support seems to have been quickly accomplished in Montclair, judging from the 200 people who registered for the virtual event and the enthusiasm of participants.
"This is really a transformational idea of how we could repurpose this line and promote passive recreation, protect open space and drive economic development," said Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, also a Montclair resident.
The first major hurdle to the project, the purchase of the land for $65 million from the Norfolk Southern Railway, is close to being cleared, Kagan said.
The sale is being brokered by the Open Space Institute, and the trail, which lies roughly equally in Essex and Hudson counties, would eventually be owned and managed by those counties. Funding for the purchase is coming from local, county, state and federal sources and private donors.
If passed, President Joe Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure bill, which has money earmarked for bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure, could help finance the Greenway’s design and construction, said Montclair Township Council member Peter Yacobellis.
“With the stars aligning and money flowing, this is the moment. This is an amazing opportunity,” he said.
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The 8-mile stretch of track hasn't seen commuters since 2002, when the Montclair Connection at the Bay Street train station was completed, linking the Montclair branch to the Old Boonton Line.
Though the Greenway would take years to complete, Yacobellis said town leaders are already starting to plan for an influx of bikers and walkers coming off the trail's terminus near the Bay Street train station.
"This would be a major transit route, so you could potentially have hundreds of people arriving in Montclair every day, biking, walking, skateboarding, whatever," he said in an interview earlier in the day.
Yacobellis said one idea gaining ground is to create the town's first dedicated bike lane from the terminus of the Greenway on Glenridge Avenue to the street's end on Bloomfield Avenue in the heart of the business district.
This would bring foot traffic from the trail to restaurants and shops without adding to downtown parking and traffic woes, he said, especially during the day when business is slower than in the evenings.
It would also please safe-streets advocates, who have been pushing for bike lanes and safer pedestrian walkways during the pandemic.
There is also talk about connecting the Greenway to the two other bike trails in the region, the East Coast Greenway and the September 11 National Memorial Trail. Ideally, cyclists would have a safe route to bike from the terminus of the Essex-Hudson Greenway to the 9/11 memorial at Eagle Rock, he said.
Kagan and Gill both spoke at the information session about the advantages the trail would bring to disadvantaged areas, creating green, open space in places without it, such as Newark and Belleville, along with exercise opportunities and better transportation and commuting options for those without cars.
At 100 feet wide, the Greenway has enough room for benches and art displays, as on New York City’s High Line, Kagan said. Planting rain gardens and bioswales along the route, along with stormwater storage space under the track, would provide important protection against flooding, something especially needed in communities like Kearny and Secaucus.
Once the purchase is complete, planning can begin. One of the biggest engineering challenges is the historic bridge over the Hackensack River, which is stuck in the open position to allow boat traffic, Kagan said.
If the project moves forward, Montclair could present some challenges of its own. Only a small portion of the trail lies in Montclair, and much of it runs along active train line and would not be safe. In addition, the track bed in town is mostly below ground level, so designers will have to figure out how to bring people and their bikes to street level.
Yacobellis said it's not too early to plan ways to encourage visitors to come off the trail and spend time, and money, in town — with welcome signs, maps, water refill stations and restrooms, for example.
“This is an amazing opportunity to market Montclair,” he said. “You can park your bike, see a show, go to a museum, go shopping or dining, go on a history tour. There are so many great possibilities and synergies. This is our opportunity to help create the infrastructure that will fuel a renaissance for Montclair's many points of interest.”
Julia Martin covers Montclair for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: jmartin@gannettnj.come
Twitter: @TheWriteJulia
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Essex-Hudson Greenway is 'amazing opportunity': Montclair officials
