Twp. Council awards contract for greenway path footbridge

By: Lea Kahn – Staff Writer
Township Council has awarded a $189,615 contract for the construction of a 50-foot-long footbridge across Five Mile Run, connecting the north and south sides of the Johnson Trolley Line greenway path.
The council awarded the contract at its Aug. 3 meeting. The council also accepted a grant from the state Department of Transportation to cover the construction costs of the wooden bridge, which will be eight feet wide.
Work on the footbridge is expected to begin soon, and it is expected to be completed in the fall, Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun said. It will take about 60 days to construct the footbridge, he said.
The Johnson Trolley Line follows the route of the trolley known as the "fast line" or "Johnson Trolley Line" that operated from 1900 to 1939. The trolley line, which ran between Trenton and Princeton, passed through Ewing and Lawrence townships.
The right-of-way for the former Johnson Trolley Line is part of the township’s greenway path. The bridge will be located on the segment of the trolley line between Eggerts Crossing Road and Rider University, Mr. Krawczun said. The path is disrupted by the Five Mile Run, but the bridge would link the two halves and create a 2.5-mile-long trail.
The finished trail would provide access to Rider University, Central Park, Lawrence Intermediate School and Eggerts Crossing Village. Another segment of the trolley line, which runs along Johnson Avenue in the Eggerts Crossing neighborhood, was completed several years ago.
"This will be a great recreational opportunity for Lawrence residents," Mr. Krawczun said. It will allow Lawrence residents to enjoy their own neighborhood as well as the Loveless Nature Preserve, which is adjacent to the greenway path, he said.
This is not Lawrence Township’s first attempt to build the footbridge. The idea has been circulating for awhile and has been endorsed by advisory groups such as the Lawrence Greenway Committee, but the township had been unable to fund the project.