Authored By: The Circuit Trails | August 20, 2020

Development on the Circuit in New Jersey is moving right along! Over the past few months, we’ve seen great movement made to complete trails that are in progress, conduct feasibility studies for planned routes and approve construction contracts for proposed trails. With all this exciting progress happening #OnTheCircuit, we wanted to keep you updated on the upcoming additions to the places you can explore in New Jersey.

Photo from the Delaware River Heritage Trail

Delaware River Heritage Trail 130 Bypass Section

After nearly completing the Rt. 130 Bypass sections of the Delaware River Heritage Trail, the project was halted when NJ Transit and Burlington County couldn’t come to legal terms on a key crossing of trail at the NJT River Line tracks. Thankfully, after months of litigation and pressure from our Circuit Trails Steering Committee, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and others, NJ Transit and Burlington County have now signed an access agreement.

Construction of the $1.3 million trail crossing will begin in the coming weeks, and the goal is to have the project completed by this fall, which will in turn complete the Rt. 130 Bypass section, a 5-mile piece of the larger Delaware River Heritage Trail.

Photo courtesy of Burlington County

Phase I of the Arney’s Mount Trail

As part of Burlington County’s plan to develop 20 additional miles of pedestrian and bicycling trails by 2025, the Board of Chosen Freeholders recently announced the start of construction for Phase I of the planned Arney’s Mount trail project. The new trail will link the existing 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. Construction for Phase I is expected to kick off later this month and will consist of a new trailhead off Tower Drive in Springfield with parking for cars and horse trailers, as well as a handicap-accessible path that will loop for 2.2 miles around Arney’s Mount and through county-preserved property around the hill.

Photo of Pennington Park Trail from Burlington County

Amico Island to Pennington Park Trail

Another recent announcement from the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders is the approval of a construction contract for the Amico Island to Pennington Park Trail. The planned trail will run for 4 miles beginning at Amico Island Park, the 55-acre peninsula at the confluence of the Rancocas Creek and Delaware River that is renowned for its natural scenery and mix of wildlife and terrain. The trail will continue east through Riverside, across the Delanco-Riverside Bridge, beneath the River Line light rail bridge and through Delanco to Pennington Park.

Both the Amico Island to Pennington Park Trail and Phase I of the Arney’s Mount Trail projects are being funded entirely with federal grants the county secured to expand the county’s network of pedestrian and bicycling trails.

Photo from Camden County

Camden County Link Trail

The Camden County Link is a planned 33-mile multi-use, off-road trail designed to serve as the “spine” for a county-wide trail network #OnTheCircuit. Currently, the trail is in the development phase. In June and July, Camden County held three virtual public meetings to present preliminary design plans for Priority 1 trail segments to the community. If you missed those meetings, you can find recordings of them here.

Want to play a part in helping more trails #OnTheCircuit get developed? Send an email to your local representatives letting them know how much you love the Circuit Trails in your community! Your support and the support from your officials is crucial to helping us reach our short-term goal of completing 500 miles of trails #OnTheCircuit by 2025. If you’ve already sent an email, be sure to express your gratitude on social media, too! Learn more about all of the ways that you can make a difference #OnTheCircuit here.