Burlington County’s Kinkora Trail consists of 2.15 miles, from Island Road in Mansfield’s rural farm belt to Mansfield Community Park in the village of Columbus. The new study will examine extending the trail.
Burlington County has begun a study on another addition to its growing network of regional trails.
The county commissioners voted last month to accept a $50,000 grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to conduct a feasibility study on a 3.25-mile extension to the existing Kinkora Trail, one of the first created by the county.
The Kinkora Trail currently consists of 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 a segment of the county’s Delaware River Heritage Trail through Florence, Mansfield and Bordentown.
Most of the new trail is expected to be 10 feet wide, with asphalt, off-road paths reserved for walkers, runners, cyclists and wheelchairs. Like the existing Kinkora Trail, the proposed extension would predominantly follow the path of the former Kinkora Railroad Line that once crossed Burlington County to carry soldiers and freight to Fort Dix during World War I and II.
The county completed the first segment of the trail in 2016 by using the old railroad’s right of way. Now, it plans to extend the trail the full 13 miles of the right of way, through Mansfield, Springfield and Pemberton townships.
The Kinkora Trail is one of several projects the county has undertaken to grow its network of safe, accessible pedestrian and bicycle trails and other accommodations. More than $19 million in grants has been received and invested for that purpose.
Some of the recent completed projects include:
- The first 4-mile segment of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail between Amico Island Park in Delran and Pennington Park in Delanco
- A new 5.5-mile segment of the Delaware River Heritage Trail between Roebling and Bordentown City
- A 2.2-mile accessible, asphalt trail around Arney’s Mount in Springfield, plus nearly 2.5 miles of equestrian turf trails and gravel “challenge trails” through the woods along the base of the mount.
Several more trail projects in various stages of planning and design are as follows:
- An extension of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail from Pennington Park in Delanco, across Route 130 to both Willingboro Lakes Park and Rainbow Meadow Park in Delran
- A new trail in Willingboro to connect Willingboro Lakes Park with the municipality’s Mill Creek Park
- Extension of the Delaware River Heritage Trail from Roebling through Florence, Burlington Township, Burlington City, Edgewater Park, Beverly and Delanco
- A new segment of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail from Historic Smithville Park in Eastampton across Route 206 to the Birmingham section of Pemberton Township.
The county is also studying possible routes for another 50 miles of trails through Mount Laurel, Moorestown, Evesham, Maple Shade, Medford, Tabernacle, Southampton and Shamong.
