Meeting On Gloucester Twp. Trail Extension Set For Monday

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A public meeting concerning the expansion of the Gloucester Township Health and Fitness Trail will take place Monday night, township officials announced.

It will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the municipal building, 1261 Chews Landing Road. The meeting will be facilitated by the Township Engineer, Anthony Chadwell, of Remington & Vernick Engineers, Inc.

The trail runs along an abandoned railroad bed. Since 1999, it has consisted of 11 segments, and now extends from Main Street near Grenloch Lake to Oak Avenue.

When it is completed, the 4.4-mile trail will connect Gloucester Township’s northern border with Runnemede Borough to the southern border with Washington Township, according to officials.

It will include a 10-foot wide pavement with side striping, and there will be signs at each crossing, according to officials. There will be fencing wherever steep dropoffs present potential safety hazards, officials said.

Parts of the trail are in old cuts excavated by the railroad, and retaining walls will be set approximately 5 feet from the edge of the trail, officials said.

The final segment includes the crossing of the North Branch of Timber Creek. The trail will occupy the old Reading-Seashore Railroad bed that crosses the creek on a high constructed embankment, which will require higher cost per linear foot to provide stabilization and safety features, officials said.

Both the existing and proposed trail go through several communities in Gloucester Township. It is near or adjacent to several schools, recreational facilities and commercial centers.

Officials said completion of the trail will contribute to the redevelopment of the Black Horse Pike corridor and “offer excellent vistas of Timber Creek.”

“Parts of the trail area also adjacent to undeveloped natural parts of the township,” officials said. “This overall trail is an important part of the Circuit Trails and will eventually serve as a link between the multi-use trail networks in Camden County and Gloucester County. The Circuit Trails are endorsed as a regional priority in the DVRPC’s Connections 2045 Plan for Greater Philadelphia.”