This artist’s depiction of a multi-use trail from Merchant Street in Audubon to Station Avenue in Haddon Heights along Atlantic Avenue will soon be a reality.
For generations families and friends driving to the Jersey Shore have started singing “On the Way to Cape May” by Al Alberts when it came on the radio – an uplifting tune marking the beginning of a summer vacation.
An ambitious plan will give people more options to be on the way to Cape May – creating a trail for bicyclists, hikers and runners stretching from the Ben Franklin Bridge to the Victorian town at the tip of South Jersey.
On March 6, officials celebrated the grand opening of the $3-million portion of the Camden County LINK Trail that will connect Merchant Street in Audubon to Station Avenue in Haddon Heights, a distance of more than a mile. Construction has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
“The Camden County LINK Trail will serve as a crucial spine within the Circuit Trails network, linking New Jersey downtowns to the Ben Franklin Bridge and into Philadelphia,” said Justin Dennis, chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition and New Jersey Program Director at Trust for Public Land.
“We’re grateful to the elected officials at the local, county, state and federal levels whose leadership and investment made this milestone possible,” he added. “By advancing projects like this, we are strengthening essential infrastructure that connects people to opportunity and communities to each other.”
The county trail is a 34-mile, multi-use path connecting the Ben Franklin Bridge to Winslow Township, and serves as a major component of the 850-mile Circuit Trails Network across Philadelphia and South Jersey. It is part of a larger, long-term vision to create a 105-mile trail linking Camden to Cape May and follows the Conrail Beesley’s Point Secondary Line, transforming the freight rail corridor for pedestrian and bicycle use.
Along the way, the trail will travel through urban, suburban and rural environments connecting many municipal and county parks and several downtown business districts.
At the grand opening ceremony, county Commissioner Jeffrey Nash joined federal, state and local officials to celebrate the trail and marked the start of construction on the highly anticipated greenway that will stretch from the Delaware River to the Pine Barrens.
“Today is a truly historic day, as we are formally beginning construction on the Camden County LINK Trail after almost a decade of feasibility studies, public meetings, and securing funding,” said Nash, liaison to the Camden County Parks Department. “I am so thrilled to see this project become a reality.
“The LINK Trail will provide residents throughout Camden County with access to passive recreation, and enable them a safe and scenic path to walk, bike or run throughout our beautiful county.”
Congressman Donald Norcross highlighted the impact of federal funding on the project.
“Thanks in part to $13.6 million in federal funding I helped deliver through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, this project will connect communities, support local businesses and give families more opportunities to walk, run and bike outdoors,” he said.
Since the project’s inception nearly a decade ago, the county commissioners have worked with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the State Historic Preservation Office and mayors and officials of local municipalities to make the LINK Trail a reality.
“We are excited to welcome the Camden County LINK Trail to our communities,” said Assemblymen Bill Spearman and Bill Moen in a joint statement.
“This transformative project will connect our neighborhoods, promote a healthier lifestyle, and deliver economic benefits to residents and business owners alike,” the statement said. “As this historic project unfolds, we look forward to sharing its many rewards with residents across Camden County.”
Plans call for the trail to be constructed using porous asphalt, allowing rainwater to penetrate the surface so it won’t contribute to storm-water runoff.
Audubon Mayor Rob Jakubowski expressed his excitement for the project and commended the commissioners for their dedication to Camden County residents.
“I look forward to new outdoor activity opportunities that will create a walking connection to our neighbors in Haddon Heights and eventually to the far borders of Camden County and beyond,” he said.
Haddon Heights Mayor Zach Houck spoke about how the LINK Trail will directly benefit residents of his town, including Haddon Heights students and families who walk to Atlantic Avenue Elementary School every day. Their route is located in the heart of the trail segment.
“We look forward to the trail’s continued expansion and connection with the entire county,” he said.
When completed, the Camden County LINK trail will be a part of the Circuit Trails Network that will become an interconnected series of multi-use trails in nine counties on both sides of the Delaware River.
