LAWRENCE: $275K grant to fund bicycle footbridge

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
All that’s left of the former Johnson Trolley Line bridge across the Five-Mile Run — between Eggerts Crossing Road and the Rider University campus — are a couple of cement abutments, about 25 to 30 feet apart.
    But a new bicycle and pedestrian footbridge will soon span the creek, thanks to a $275,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation, Municipal Engineer James Parvesse said. Township officials learned of the grant award last week.
    The township’s grant was among 19 applications approved by the DOT, totaling $4.4 million. The money is being allocated through the DOT’s fiscal year 2009 Bikeways program.
    “As the DOT continues to work toward our goal of achieving 1,000 miles of dedicated bikeways in New Jersey, this program provides funds to counties and municipalities to promote bikeways as an alternate mode of transportation,” Gov. Jon Corzine said in a written statement.
    The DOT provides funds for local projects that will result in the creation of new, independent bicycle facilities. The agency encourages municipalities to apply for funding for bikeways that are physically separated from vehicular traffic by an open space or barrier.
    The $275,000 grant will provide for construction of an eight8-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian bridge and about 100 feet of a new bicycle and pedestrian trail on the north and south sides of the bridge, Mr. Parvesse said. The path would consist of stone dust — not asphalt — and would connect with the existing path system.
    Lawrence Township had applied for a similar grant in the past, but the application was not approved, he said. The township unsuccessfully sought a $25,000 grant from the National Recreational Trails grant program in 2006.
    The new bridge is about 1,800 feet from Eggerts Crossing Road, and about 1,000 feet from the Rider University campus, Mr. Parvesse said. Another portion of the Johnson Trolley Line — along Johnson Avenue — has already been paved.
    The long-term goal is to create a bicycle path that starts near the Ewing Township border in the Eggerts Crossing neighborhood and ends at the Rider University campus, Mr. Parvesse said. Township officials also would like to find a way to cross I-95, connecting it with the Lawrence Hopewell Trail.
    In the meantime, Mr. Parvesse said, township officials will meet with the state Department of Environmental Protection to find out what may be required. Provided there are no delays in obtaining the necessary DEP permits, the bridge could be completed by the fall, he said.
    “I’m very happy that we got the grant,” Mr. Parvesse said. “I really appreciate the DOT (approving the application). I look forward to the project. It’s an opportunity to take on a new and exciting project.”