Anyone who has dared to ride between Essex and Hudson counties knows the roads are not what even the bravest rider would call a friendly bike.

But a bike-and-walk link between the two largely urban counties, both centers of population and employment, would open up a safer, healthier, zero-emission option for countless commuters for most of the world. year, not to mention the provision of an open space for recreation. or go horseback riding, running or walking related to fitness in an area in great need, according to supporters of such a project.

So, this Sunday, supporters of the 8.6-mile Essex Hudson Greenway project will lead a much longer bike ride, on a different route – 60 miles from Newark to Trenton – to demonstrate the Cavaliers’ support for the project and to pressure Governor Phil Murphy to commit to funding it.

The greenway would use an abandoned section of the old Boonton Line railway line, which is expected to be purchased from a private owner South Norfolk Society, the Atlanta-based freight carrier, at a cost of $ 65 million, then built for millions more. An approximate figure of $ 90 million to build the greenway has been used by advocates to calculate total funding in case the money was borrowed from the New Jersey Infrastructure Banksaid a spokesperson for the Open Space Institute, the Manhattan-based nonprofit conservation group involved in the project.

The western terminus of the greenway would be in the Bay Street area of ​​Montclair, with the eastern end near Van Keuren Avenue, in an industrial area a few blocks from a bend in the Hackensack River on the side. west of Jersey City. In between, the greenway would cross Glen Ridge, Newark, Bloomfield and Belleville in Essex County, and Kearny and Secaucus in Hudson.

The line weaves its way through urban and suburban neighborhoods, under and on the same highways once traversed by Norfolk Southern freight trains. About a third of it flies over the marshes and open waters of the Hackensack Meadowlands area atop narrow railroad embankments. The route promises a unique urban experience of cycling, running or walking, with views of the Newark, Jersey City and Manhattan skylines to the west and east, the Pulaski Skyway and the Newark Bay Bridge to the north. and to the south, and a diverse mix of golf courses, factories, waterways and forests.

Supporters say the greenway would provide much-needed open space for exercise and recreation among urban communities, and lead to the economic revitalization of surrounding neighborhoods, as the High Line did for parts of the West Side of Manhattan. And, according to supporters, it would allow cycling between population centers and employers in Essex and Hudson counties, with a concomitant reduction in car congestion and associated carbon emissions.

“There is real promise that this will be transformational for one of the most congested regions in the country,” said Eileen Larrabee of OSI. “But the window is closing for the property to be bought.”

Larrabee was referring to the January 31 expiration of a purchase contract signed by the Open Space Institute and Norfolk Southern in January 2020, giving OSI exclusive rights to purchase the rail right-of-way, or transfer those rights. to a third party, for the Agreed Price of $ 65 million. The right-of-way comprises a total of 135 acres, representing a value of approximately $ 480,000 per acre.

Norfolk Southern spokesman Connor Spielmaker said the Federal Surface Transport Council gave the company the approval it needed to sell or “relinquish” the right-of-way last summer. He also confirmed that the purchase contract with OSI expires in January.

“We also continue to work with the Open Space Institute on the purchase,” Spielmaker said in an email.

Murphy’s spokesperson Michael Zhadanovsky released a statement saying: “Governor supports Essex-Hudson Greenway”, although it has not yet been determined whether and how much the state would pay to get there.

“We are continuing to assess funding solutions for the Essex-Hudson Greenway and are committed to working with all stakeholders to work on identifying a way forward for this project,” read the statement. communicated.

Norfolk Southern did not respond to requests for comment.

Leaders from Hudson and Essex Counties said they and their staff held joint discussions on the Green Lane last year, but ultimately concluded that its bi-county nature made it a more project. appropriate for the state. Cost was also a concern.

“We would love to see it,” said Tom DeGise, Hudson County Director. But, he added, it will have to be done by the state.

Essex County Director Joe DiVincenzo, a regular cyclist, said he lobbied the governor on behalf of the project for the same health, leisure and environmental reasons as other supporters. He was particularly optimistic about the economic development that would be boosted by the greenway, which DiVincenzo said would attract cyclists and walkers from other New Jersey counties and other states.

“It would be our High line“said DiVincenzo, referring to New York City’s reuse of an old elevated railroad spur as a park on the West Side of Manhattan.

Divincenzo said he was rejecting a proposal for Essex to issue bonds to pay for the project, which would take advantage of the low interest rates associated with the county’s AAA rating, insisting it was unwise to compromise the county’s stellar rating for a project that would be partly outside the county, with uncertainties lingering over its total cost, timing, payback revenues, jurisdiction and other issues.

Instead, DiVinenzo said the Green Lane would be an ideal candidate for federal stimulus or infrastructure funding.

“If this is not a recovery project, what is it? DiVincenzo said, adding that he would commit to ensuring the maintenance and safety of the six miles of the greenway in his county. “Which is a big cost.”

Cycling supporters say the idea of ​​converting the right-of-way to a greenway has been circulating for nearly two decades, after the completion of NJ Transit’s Montclair connection in 2002, which rendered the old section of the Boonton line obsolete. .

But the movement to create the green lane has accelerated in recent years, in particular with the involvement of the Open Space Institute, whose mission has shifted towards the preservation of spaces accessible to a greater number, an objective who joins the project.

This Sunday, the 60-mile drive from Newark to Trenton is being organized by another of the Green Lane’s main promoters, the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition, who started campaigning for the project in 2014.

Racers in Sunday’s two-wheeled road rally will begin to assemble at 6 a.m. under the golden dome of Newark Town Hall before a big start at 7 a.m. A rally at the state house at the end of the ride is scheduled for 2 p.m., giving runners about seven hours – at a moderate pace of around 8.5 mph – to complete the trip.

For cyclists who prefer not to cycle the 60 miles, there are meeting points along the way at Bound Brook, Princeton and Trenton, at William Trent House. Full details, registration information and links to routes published on Strava, Ride with GPS and other apps are available at www.bike2trenton.org

There are still several unknowns about the greenway itself, including how the project will be funded; which entity will own and ultimately retain it; and the role of the two countries concerned and of organizations defending their interests will also include the National September 11 Memorial Trail Alliance, which hopes to integrate the Green Lane into a 1,300-mile bicycle-friendly road network connecting the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon and the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The promoters have recognized that the green lane is far from becoming a reality, but how long is another unknown.

Brendan Gill, a member of the Essex County Board of Commissioners who is also a member of the Bike & Walk Coalition’s board of directors and a strong supporter of the project, acknowledged that the acquisition of the right-of-way is a complex transaction with a price, and that the details of the construction, maintenance and operation of the greenway were still uncertain.

For example, the eastern terminus of the Greenway in Jersey City would be in a remote industrial site on the west side of the city, miles from its famous Hudson River waterfront, across from lower Manhattan. The goal in this case, said Gill, is to connect the greenway, presumably with cycle lanes on city streets, to the nearest PATH station, at Journal Square, which could then transport cyclists, runners or walkers east to Manhattan or west to Newark.

Still, he acknowledged that there were many other uncertainties surrounding the project. For example, there is the question of whether and how to use the 132-year-old DB Draw Railroad Swing Bridge as a greenway to cross the Hackensack River between Secaucus and Kearny.

But Green Lane supporters say they’ll cross that bridge when they get there. The next urgent step, said Gill and others, is to acquire Boonton’s former hold of Norfolk Southern before it is bought by someone else with a very different view of its use. That, said Gill, doesn’t have to wait until all project uncertainties are resolved.

“We hope that the state will step in and take the lead in financing the acquisition,” he said.

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Steve Strunsky can be reached at [email protected]