Burlington County is advancing a new regional trail project that is expected to dramatically improve pedestrian and bicycle safety while connecting Historic Smithville Park with the Pemberton Rail Trail.
The Burlington County Commissioners voted unanimously last month to apply for $6 million in state funding to support the design and construction of the proposed 4-mile trail, named the Smithville Park to Pemberton Rail Trail Connector. The proposed pathway will cross through parts of Eastampton, Pemberton Township and Pemberton Borough and become part of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail envisioned to travel the entire 30-mile length of the creek, from its headwaters in Pemberton to its terminus with the Delaware River. It will also include a pedestrian and bicycle-safe crossing on Route 206.
The project anticipates construction of a 10-foot wide off-road path along the former Pennsylvania Railroad right-of-way from a trailhead off West Railroad Avenue in Smithville Park through Smith’s Woods and across Route 206 and through Pemberton Township, where it will connect with the Pemberton Rail Trail near Birmingham Road.
The Pemberton Rail Trail travels another 1.6 miles through Pemberton Township, ending at the North Pemberton Railroad Station on Fort Dix Road in Pemberton Township and at Hanover Street in downtown Pemberton Borough. The crushed stone path was created by the Pemberton Rotary in 1999 with support from community groups, local businesses and the State of New Jersey.
The new trail project has already been pre-screened by both the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Both agencies determined the project is authorized to receive funding through the Regional Transportation Alternatives Program.
