County Completes Lacey, Berkeley Trestle On Barnegat Branch Trail

BERKELEY, NJ — Officials cut the ribbon Friday on the new trestle that connects Berkeley and Lacey over the Cedar Creek. The 150-foot long trestle is the longest clear span of any of Ocean County's bridges.

Work to install the trestle began earlier this year. The structure provides connection to the existing 2.75-mile trail from the Cedar Creek to Hickory Lane in Berkeley.

The new steel trestle was placed in April. However, vandalism and graffiti were found on the structure soon after, according to Ocean County Freeholder Director Virginia E. Haines. Haines is the chairwoman of Ocean County Parks and Recreation.

"We have reached out to our Sheriff's Department and requested more security in the area to stop the graffiti and vandalism," Haines said in April. "Anyone caught vandalizing the new structure or any part of this trail will be subject to fines and arrests." Read more: Lacey, Berkeley Trestle Placed, But Already Vandalized: County

Officials at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Haines, Freeholder Gary Quinn, Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato, Lacey Mayor Timothy McDonald and staff members from the Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation, Ocean County Planning Department and Ocean County Engineering Department.

This phase of trail construction also includes the creation of a 10-foot wide stone dust trail on the Lacey side, creating a formal parking lot at Hebrew Park and installing interpretive signage, benches, a railroad hand car display and picnic tables.

Cedar Creek drains into Barnegat Bay and is part of the Barnegat Bay Watershed Management Area. Like most Pine Barrens streams, the water of Cedar Creek is "tea-colored" because of the tannic acid from the roots of the cedars lining the river banks, according to county officials. It is a popular spot fro canoeing and kayaking.

Ocean County has completed seven phases of the Barnegat Branch Trail, which includes almost 8 continuous miles from Burr Street in Barnegat Township to Lacey Road in Lacey Township. In addition, more than three miles from Dudley Park at the Cedar Creek in Lacey Township to Hickory Lane in Berkeley Township have been completed. When done, the linear park will span about 16 miles.

“This trail and the ongoing work to move it to completion truly complements Ocean County’s open space program,” Haines said. “The trail represents a great part of our history. It protects our environment and it highlights areas of the County many residents may never have been able to access.”

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Berkeley Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.