South Orange Gets $1 Million Grant For River Greenway Project

South Orange, get ready to meet… North Orange.

On Wednesday, U.S. Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) and South Orange Village leaders announced that the municipality has been awarded a $1 million New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) grant in support of the village’s River Greenway Project, a comprehensive plan to connect the northern and southern borders with a single trail.

According to a release, the grant will help fund the completion of River Greenway, which comprises a 3,600 foot pedestrian path and bikeway that connects the southern border of the Village at Chyzowych Field in Maplewood to Third Street near the South Orange train station in the Village Center.

The River Greenway Project was one of only 28 projects to receive funding under the DOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program.

“As a community, we all know how critically important this award is to completing the River Greenway,” said Payne Jr., who supported the grant application in a 2014 letter. “South Orange Village is a leader in our state for its commitment to the environment and the promotion of alternative modes of transportation. This grant enables the Village to enhance access to downtown South Orange, reduce our environmental footprint, and increase connectivity within and between Maplewood and the Village Center.”