A Journey Along the Towpath ... your quarterly dig on the Morris Canal Greenway Project Vol: 7
Passaic County Planning Department
September 2011
Morris Canal Greenway Feasibility Study Draft Released Fast Facts About the proposed route of the Morris Canal Greenway: •
25.67-miles total
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Passes through Pompton Lakes, Wayne, Totowa, Little Falls, Woodland Park, Paterson, and Clifton
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Accessible within a 1/2 mile walk from the Greenway are 276 acres of recreational land, 49 acres of athletic fields or schools, and 2 public libraries 49.3% of land along the Greenway is urban, while 38.2% is forest, 9.1% is wetlands, 1.9% is water, 0.7% is agricultural, and 0.7% is open space
T
he Morris Canal Greenway feasibility study was completed in June, and presented to the Passaic County Planning Board for adoption as an element of the County Master Plan. A public hearing is scheduled for October 13, 2011, and comments will be accepted until October 27, 2011. The Feasibility Study includes historical context, a land use inventory, and a proposed route for the Morris Canal Greenway. Along this route, it identifies eleven “challenge sites” where there are large obstacles, such as crossing Interstate-80 or the Peckman River. A summary page is dedicated to each challenge site, detailing the specific criteria used by the project team to evaluate each site and prioritize short-term and long-term improvements. These criteria include connectivity, environmental impacts, estimated construction cost, safety considerations, jurisdictional or administrative issues, historic preservation, and available alternative routes.
The study recommends general bicycle-pedestrian trail improvements along the greenway, such as signage, security, and maintenance, as well as specific recommended measures for the eleven challenge sites. It concludes with an overview of potential funding sources and next steps. The route of the Morris Canal Greenway proposed in the Feasibility Study spans approximately 25.67 miles in seven municipalities, with 8.26 miles in Wayne, 3.87 miles in Clifton, 3.83 miles in Paterson, 3.55 miles in Woodland Park, 2.56
miles in Little Falls, 1.93 miles in Totowa, and 1.69 miles in Pompton Lakes. A majority of the proposed greenway (57.7%) is already either accessible and walkable, existing or planned parks. The North Jersey District Water Supply Commission holds nearly seven miles of property, or 26.7% of the proposed greenway. The remaining 15.7% of the land is unusable, categorized by needing sidewalks, pathways, or repairs, having safety issues, or having larger infrastructure issues.
Calling all Bike-Ped Fans and Hikers... Greenway Project Team Members Needed! Are you interested in improving bicycle access both on and offroad in your community? Would you like to make our streets safer for pedestrians? Do you want more trails in your neighborhood? Or are you interested in the many health, environmental,
and quality-of-life benefits that the greenway can provide? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, please consider shaping the future of trails in Passaic County as a volunteer on the Morris Canal Greenway Project Team. The project team meets to keep
Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders
the Greenway moving forward and assists in getting the word out to local residents and officials. The team meets quarterly on Thursdays at 5:30 pm at the Passaic County Planning Department offices at 930 Riverview Drive, Suite 250, Totowa, NJ.
Upcoming project team meetings are scheduled for: •
September 22, 2011
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January 26, 2012
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April 26, 2012
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June 28, 2012
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September 27, 2012
A Journey Along the Towpath
Proposed Greenway Location Pompton Lakes Borough C
The Borough of Woodland Park has made large strides toward completing a linear park along the Morris Canal. The Borough completed landscape architecture designs for the segment of the former canal from Overmount Avenue to Brophy Lane, and has nearly completed Phase I of construction, from Overmount Avenue to Nesser Lane.
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Passaic County Planning Attn: Jennifer Gonzalez www.facebook.com/ 930 Riverview Drive, MorrisCanalGreenway Suite 250 Totowa, NJ 07512 Visit our website: 973-569-4040 jenniferg@passaiccountynj.org www.passaiccountynj.org
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Present Adopt Study Negotiate Greenway as element Easements Plan to local of County officials Master Plan
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As we reported in Volume 6 of A Journey along the Towpath (April 2011), the Township of Little Falls broke ground in May on a bikeway along Wilmore Road from Main Street to the Peckman Preserve, and from Cedar Grove Road to just past Camp Bal Place. They have made huge progress, and the project is slated for completion in early Fall 2011. Take a bike ride over and check it out!
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Engineering Construction Publications Design & Trail Maps
A Special Thanks: Funding for the Greenway Feasibility study provided by the Passaic County Open Space Trust Fund and ANJEC. The Passaic County Planning Department thanks the dedicated members of the project team for their ongoing efforts, support, and time commitment. Thank you to all the individuals and organizations participating in the Morris Canal Greenway Project; and many thanks to the Board of Chosen Freeholders and municipal officials.
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