Raritan River Greenway
Encyclopedia
The Raritan River Greenway is a proposed path in Somerset County
, New Jersey
that would link Branchburg Township to the East Coast Greenway
with the Delaware and Raritan Canal
trail in South Bound Brook
. Raritan River Greenway is a priorty park for Somerset County.
. The hill at an elevation of seventy feet has a nice view of south side of the Raritan River. The dirt path from the top of the hill to a small parking lot (at the driveway for the Sellars Maintenance Facility on Old York Road) is part of county property that is undeveloped. Through the fence of the parking lot is the developed part of the trail, beginning as a gravel pathway bound by the Raritan Water Power Canal
and the Raritan River
. This part of the trail is in Duke Island Park
in Bridgewater. Less than a quarter mile east, a paved bicycle path begins, which ends near an old railroad bridge near Woodmere Road. The gravel and dirt foot path continues along the canal and meets up with the bicycle path again near the old railroad bridge. The dirt pedestrian path continues on the much narrower strip of land between the canal and river until it reaches a small foot bridge at the end of Canal Street in Raritan. A new pedestrian bridge further west on Old York Road has been installed with parking provided for further access to the greenway. After reaching Raritan center, the greenway continues across a mowed field without a trail and under a tunnel beneath the Lyman Street Bridge. On the south side of the Lyman Street Bridge is a small sign with some history of the Raritan Power Canal. The Nevius Street Bridge
, where the trail currently ends can be crossed by pedestrians and bicyclists into Hillsborough.
trail would be about three and a half miles long and would require five bridges over water, including two long bridges and two bridges over train tracks. The west route from Bridgewater to the Branchburg Trail would be less than half a mile.
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
that would link Branchburg Township to the East Coast Greenway
East Coast Greenway
The East Coast Greenway, or ECG, is a project to create a nearly urban path linking the major cities of the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida, for non-motorized human transportation...
with the Delaware and Raritan Canal
Delaware and Raritan Canal
The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...
trail in South Bound Brook
South Bound Brook, New Jersey
South Bound Brook is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,563.What is now South Bound Brook was originally formed as a town within Franklin Township...
. Raritan River Greenway is a priorty park for Somerset County.
Completed Sections
The longest completed section of the Raritan River Greenway is three miles (5 km) long and runs from a hill near Red Oak Way in Bridgewater to Nevius Street in RaritanRaritan, New Jersey
Raritan is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 6,881.-Geography:Raritan is located at ....
. The hill at an elevation of seventy feet has a nice view of south side of the Raritan River. The dirt path from the top of the hill to a small parking lot (at the driveway for the Sellars Maintenance Facility on Old York Road) is part of county property that is undeveloped. Through the fence of the parking lot is the developed part of the trail, beginning as a gravel pathway bound by the Raritan Water Power Canal
Raritan Water Power Canal
The Raritan Water Power Canal in Raritan, New Jersey was a three-mile long water delivery canal built during the early 1840s to power industries. The canal has been determined to be eligible for the National Register. The canal is included in Duke Island Park, as part of the Somerset County Park...
and the Raritan River
Raritan River
The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...
. This part of the trail is in Duke Island Park
Duke Island Park
Duke Island Park is a Somerset County Park in Bridgewater, New Jersey. The Park includes trails, which are part of the Raritan River Greenway and currently connects the southwestern corner of Bridgewater with Raritan center and Hillsborough...
in Bridgewater. Less than a quarter mile east, a paved bicycle path begins, which ends near an old railroad bridge near Woodmere Road. The gravel and dirt foot path continues along the canal and meets up with the bicycle path again near the old railroad bridge. The dirt pedestrian path continues on the much narrower strip of land between the canal and river until it reaches a small foot bridge at the end of Canal Street in Raritan. A new pedestrian bridge further west on Old York Road has been installed with parking provided for further access to the greenway. After reaching Raritan center, the greenway continues across a mowed field without a trail and under a tunnel beneath the Lyman Street Bridge. On the south side of the Lyman Street Bridge is a small sign with some history of the Raritan Power Canal. The Nevius Street Bridge
Nevius Street Bridge
The Nevius Street Bridge once carried car traffic across the Raritan River between Hillsborough and Raritan. In the 1840s a wooden bridge crossed at this location. The current bridge was built 1886 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio. It is a double intersection Pratt truss bridge...
, where the trail currently ends can be crossed by pedestrians and bicyclists into Hillsborough.
Future Sections
With plans underway for the redevelopment of the Somerville landfill site on US-206 and the rehabilitation of an old Raritan Woolen Mills into apartments , the section from Nevius Street to US-206 would likely be the next section to be planned. This section would need a small bridge over the canal and a bridge over 206. It would pass along the opposite bank from the Duke Estate and go over the old private railroad tracks of the Duke family. A third section connecting US-206 to the Delaware and Raritan CanalDelaware and Raritan Canal
The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...
trail would be about three and a half miles long and would require five bridges over water, including two long bridges and two bridges over train tracks. The west route from Bridgewater to the Branchburg Trail would be less than half a mile.
See also
- Delaware and Raritan Canal State ParkDelaware and Raritan CanalThe Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...
- Holland Brook GreenwayHolland BrookHolland Brook is a stream in central New Jersey, running through Readington and Branchburg. It is the last tributary of the South Branch Raritan River before it combines with the North Branch Raritan River...