County approves contracts for new trail studies

The Burlington County Commissioners approved additional steps to expand the county’s network of regional trails, saying the new extensions will enhance outdoor recreation, improve pedestrian and cyclist safety and promote mobility between communities.

Among the new trail projects the county is pursuing are a 13-mile extension of the Delaware River Heritage Trail from Florence through Burlington Township, Burlington City, Beverly, Edgewater Park and Delanco, along with a 3.25-mile extension of the Kinkora Trail through Mansfield.

The commissioners voted to approve contracts with Taylor Design Group to perform trail routing feasibility studies for both projects. The studies are a precursor for preliminary and final design of the trails.

The board also approved a separate $400,000 contract with the engineering firm NV5 to create a county-wide bicycle and pedestrian safety plan that identifies future trail opportunities along with other highway and transportation infrastructure improvements that enhance safety.

The Delaware River Heritage Trail encompasses just over eight miles from Bordentown south to Roebling Park in Florence, and is envisioned to eventually loop around both sides of the river. The proposed new segment from Florence to Delanco would become the largest of the trail and is expected to provide links to Florence’s 5^th Street Trail, Burlington City’s Riverfront Promenade and other areas.

The segment is expected to end at the Delanco River Line station, where it will connect with the county’s Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail between Amico Island Park in Delran and Pennington Park in Delanco.

The Kinkora Trail currently travels 2.15 miles from Island Road in Mansfield’s rural farm belt to Mansfield Community Park in the village of Columbus. The study will examine extending the trail from the municipal park to the township’s Hedding section, where it will connect with the existing Heritage Trail through Florence, Mansfield and Bordentown.

Most of the two trails are expected to be 10 feet wide, with asphalt and off-road paths for walkers, runners, cyclists and wheelchairs.

Both study contracts with Taylor Design Group are being supported with federal funding from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for Burlington and eight other counties in the Philadelphia region.

In addition to those grants, the DVRPC voted this month to allocate $1.5 million in federal funding to the county to support construction of a 1.25-mile trail from Historic Smithville Park to the intersection of Woodcrest and Powell roads in Eastampton. The proposed trail, called the Smithville Park Connector, will be handicapped accessible and provide a link between Smithville and the Rancocas Valley Regional High School athletics complex off Millcreek Road. It would also connect to an Eastampton bike path.

The trail is currently in design phase and construction is projected to begin in 2027.

Burlington County is also planning to create the 4-mile connecting trail from Historic Smithville Park to Pemberton Township and the Pemberton Rail Trail path. The proposed trail would have a pedestrian and bicycle-safe crossing on Route 206 and would eventually become part of the larger Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail envisioned to travel the entire 30 miles of the Rancocas Creek. 

The New Jersey Department of Transportation has awarded the county $2.6 million for the design and engineering of the proposed trail and crossing. The engineering firm Michael Baker International was selected from NJDOT’s prequalified list to perform preliminary engineering and design on the project for NJDOT and County approval.

The county is also nearing completion of a study of routes for another 50 miles of potential trails through central and southern Burlington County towns, including Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Maple Shade, Evesham, Medford, Tabernacle and Shamong.