$3.7M Contract Awarded For Bike Path Connecting Delran To Delanco

DELRAN, NJ — Burlington County officials approved a $3.7 million contract to the Richard E. Pierson Construction Co. for the construction of a trail that will connect Amico Island in Delran to Pennington Park in Delanco Wednesday night, officials announced.

Two of the county’s most popular parks will be connected by a 4-mile handicap-accessible pedestrian and bicycle path.

Officials said it will further enhance the network of interconnecting trails through the Rancocas Greenway, a collection of some 1,200 acres of parks and open space territory the county has preserved and maintained along the Rancocas Creek.

Richard E. Pierson was the lowest responsible bidder, and their bid came in slightly below the planning engineer’s estimate. Construction will begin in the early fall.

The project is being paid for entirely with federal grants the county secured to expand the county’s network of pedestrian and bicycling trails.

Officials also announced the start of construction of Phase I of the planned Arney’s Mount trail project that will link the nearby Kinkora Trail between Mansfield’s Community Park and Springfield’s Veteran Memorial Park with the county’s other network of trails within the Greenway.

The proposed path will also loop through county-owned land surrounding Arney’s Mount in Springfield, which at 240-feet above sea level is the highest point in Burlington County.

“From the Delaware River and on through the farm belt and into the wondrous Pinelands, Burlington County is home to some of New Jersey’s most varied and beautiful natural scenery, wildlife and history. Our trails and parks allow all our residents the opportunity to experience and enjoy these resources,” Burlington County Freeholder Linda Hynes, liaison to the Department of Resource Conservation and Parks, said. “These trails also provide healthy recreation for children, seniors and entire families. Expanding our network is an investment I’m proud we’re making.”

Amico Island Park is a 55-acre peninsula where the Rancocas Creek meets the Delaware River. It is renowned for its natural scenery and mix of wildlife and terrain.

The trail will continue east through Riverside and across the Delanco-Riverside Bridge and beneath the River Line light rail bridge and through Delanco to Pennington Park, a 150-acre area that offers views of the Rancocas Creek as well as its own network of trails plus playgrounds, picnic areas and two dog play areas.

The parks will act as trail heads, and the planned trail route also passes by Whomsley Field, a popular Riverside municipal park and recreation facility. In addition to the trail, the county plans to make improvements at both Pennington and Amico, including bike racks, bicycle repair stations, kiosks, and additional parking and picnic tables.

“Pennington and Amico Island are already two of most popular destinations in our parks system and this trail will only enhance them,” Hynes said. “Families will be able to walk or bike the trail and enjoy the natural beauty and passive recreation available at both sites.”

The new trail will also be part of the larger Rancocas Greenway Trail the county has planned to run across 30 miles and through 13 communities on both sides of the Rancocas all the way to the Ocean County border, where it will connect with that county’s trail network.

“Our vision is for a hiker or cyclist to be able to take our trails from one end of the county to the other and onto Ocean County. Conceivably, you will be able to go from the Delaware all the way to the Atlantic,” Hynes said.

The two new trails will add to the county’s existing 50 some miles of regional and park trails and more than 1,000 acres of developed parkland, including the county’s recently completed section of the Delaware River Heritage Trail.

The trails will also be part of the Circuit Trails, a planned network of over 800 miles of trails through Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties as well as Philadelphia and four suburban counties in Pennsylvania.

Over 300 miles of trails have been constructed on the Circuit Trails network and advocates are pushing for a total of 500 miles to be completed by 2025.

The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a resolution last year expressing the board’s support for the Circuit Trails and affirming the county’s commitment to develop its part of the interconnecting network, which includes the Schuylkill River Trail and Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk, the Manayunk Bridge and the Cooper River Trail.

“As an avid marathon runner, I know how wonderful it is to have a peaceful and safe place to stretch your legs and enjoy all the natural beauty and history our county and region has to offer,” Hynes said. “I’m overjoyed that we can be part of this regional network and its promise to provide even more trails and destinations for our families to walk, run or bicycle through.”