Construction Begins On Province Line Road Portion Of Lawrence Hopewell Trail

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ — Construction on the long-anticipated Lawrence Hopewell Trail’s (LHT) Province Line Road segment is underway, officials said this week. When completed in about two months, it will add about three-quarters of a mile of trail to the biking and walking loop that runs through Lawrence and Hopewell townships.

The 3,760-foot segment runs along Province Line Road from Route 206 to Bannister Drive, where it crosses into the Foxcroft neighborhood. This link ties Carson Road Woods and Bristol-Myers Squibb Lawrenceville to the north and the Foxcroft neighborhood to the southeast. With the completion of this project, 88 percent – a total of 19 miles - of the 22-mile trail will be completed trail by this summer.

As part of the project, officials say storm drainage will be improved with the addition of a concrete curb and drainage structures along the east side of the roadway to properly convey the existing runoff. Also, the reduced roadway width and pedestrian safety improvements will serve as traffic calming measures.

To pay for this portion of the project, Lawrence Township applied for and received a $500,000 federal highway grant, administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. It applied on behalf of the LHT and the residents and users of the trail from Lawrence and Hopewell Townships and beyond.

“Patience and a commitment to getting the job done – no matter how long it takes - are two attributes that have enabled the Lawrence Hopewell Trail trustees and our many partners to build this community amenity,” LHT Co-President Eleanor Horne said.

“We can hardly wait to see members of our community walking and riding their bikes along this critically important leg of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. Within a few months, we will all be able to walk or ride on the trail from ETS through BMS, down Province Line Road, over Princeton Pike and into the Maidenhead Meadows Park, staying on the trail the whole time,” LHT Co-President Becky Taylor said. “That’s progress.”

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail is a 22+ mile bicycle and pedestrian trail and transportation corridor through public and private land in Lawrence and Hopewell townships in Mercer County. The idea for it grew out of a commitment to improving the quality of life for all of those who work in the region.

The LHT supports an active, livable and sustainable community with alternative forms of transportation to reduce the reliance on automobiles. It also promotes health and fitness, recreation and outdoor education.

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation is a nonprofit organization that depends on the community for support. The LHT is built and maintained by the community for the community. The LHT is a key member of the Circuit Coalition, a 750-mile network of bicycle and pedestrian trails connecting people to jobs, communities, and parks in the Greater Philadelphia Region.

For more information about the LHT, visit www.lhtrail.org.