50 Volunteers Clean Up Future Site Of Essex-Hudson Greenway

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Dozens of volunteers recently rolled up their sleeves at a community cleanup event in Glen Ridge – all with an eye towards a long-awaited hiking and biking pathway in North Jersey.

More than 50 volunteers joined the Department of Environmental Protection for a community cleanup and visioning session on March 21 at the Glen Ridge segment of New Jersey’s newest state park: the Essex-Hudson Greenway.

Participants removed litter and other discarded materials from the future park and worked alongside New Jersey State Parks and municipal staff from Glen Ridge to cut back vegetation, including the removal of invasive species.

An information table staffed throughout the event provided details on the park’s future vision, outlined in the Vision & Action Plan released in January.

Additional volunteer events and visioning opportunities are planned for 2026. Sign up for the project’s email list to learn more.

Work officially began on the ambitious project last year. The plan? Transform an old, defunct nine-mile railroad line in North Jersey into a 100-foot-wide biking and hiking path.

When it’s complete, New Jersey’s newest state park will cross above the Passaic and Hackensack rivers and pass through eight towns in some of the most densely populated parts of the state: Bloomfield, Belleville, Glen Ridge, Jersey City, Kearny, Montclair, Newark and Secaucus.

Construction of the nearly one-mile Newark portion of the park is underway and is anticipated to open in 2027. Read More: Long-Awaited 'Greenway' Is Shaping Up In North Jersey

Now, eyes are turning to the next leg of the greenway, which will take place in Glen Ridge.

All areas of the future state park are currently closed to public access. Learn more about the project and its timeline here. See a list of frequently asked questions here.

• Related: Essex-Hudson Greenway: Work Continues In Newark, Eyes Turn To Glen Ridge

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