The long-awaited section of the walking trail around Colonial Lake has been completed, according to Lawrence Township officials.
Landscaping and beautification to the area around the path, however, have not yet been installed, Municipal Manager Kevin Nerwinski said.
Work on the final section of the walking trail began in September by Kalogridis Contracting LLC. The Lawrence Township Council awarded a $131,780 contract to the North Brunswick Township company.
The 1,200-foot-long trail segment is eight feet wide. It continues from the existing trail on the north side of Colonial Lake and stops at the sidewalk connection to Route 1 North.
The project provides opportunities for increased use of the recreational trail system in the park by linking the existing network with the new section, completing the loop around the lake, officials said.
Residents who live on the north side of Colonial Lake could not conveniently get to the children’s playground area or the tennis courts in the park.
With the linkage, users will not have to drive to the park or use a circuitous route to get to the southern part of the park.
The trail was built on part of a 5.8-acre parcel of land that Lawrence Township acquired from Sheft Associates Inc. in 2020.
Sheft Associates owns the Colonial Bowling and Entertainment Center at 2420 Brunswick Pike and had previously proposed building a 123-room extended stay hotel on the tract.
Lawrence Township paid $3.6 million for the tract. The funding was provided through a combination of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres program, the Mercer County Open Space Assistance fund and the Lawrence Township Opens Space fund.