Published on February 04, 2020

New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, accompanied by Mayor Janice Mironov and Council Members, announced at a recent press conference at the Township municipal building that East Windsor Township was awarded a $450,000 grant from the NJDOT Fiscal Year 2020 Municipal Aid Local Bikeway Program, to fund an over 3.2 mile extension of the Union Transportation Trail through East Windsor Township.

The proposed new 3.2 mile plus trail extension is planned to commence at the current trail terminus in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area at the Mercer/Monmouth County line, will pass adjacent to Working Dog Winery, continue over the New Jersey Turnpike at Windsor-Perrineville Road, and ultimately connect to a proposed trail head and parking lot near the intersection of Airport Road.  The extension will provide access to open space in Mercer County and pass through two Township parks, Turnpike Park and Woods Road Community Park.  The existing Union Transportation Trail starts in Monmouth County from the Crosswicks Creek Greenway at Route 537 and runs parallel to Route 539 through Crosswicks, Upper Freehold, Allentown, and extends into Mercer County at Old York Road.  With this East Windsor extension, the UTT system will run for over twelve miles down to the border between Ocean County and Monmouth County near Crosswicks Creek Park.

Mayor Mironov stated, “This $450,000 state grant award is a very exciting announcement for East Windsor Township.  We are very grateful because these resources are the type of support which both enables this project to go forward, but also underscores our joint goals and mission to expand our bicycle trails and pathways within East Windsor and our region.  This project is the most ambitious project we have undertaken with huge advantages for our community and will be a great asset for bicyclists throughout the Township, Mercer County, and our entire region.  We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support by Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti and the NJDOT for this project that will serve so many people.”

NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said, “This project will create a safe off-street pathway for runners, walkers, bicyclists and equestrians.  It is an example of how the Murphy Administration has been working toward improving the quality of life for our residents by promoting healthy, safe alternate modes of transportation.”

The Bikeway Grant Program is part of NJDOT’s Local Aid program funded through the State Transportation Trust Fund (TTF). The Bikeway Grant Program provides $1 million in grants annually to counties and municipalities to promote bikeways as an alternate mode of transportation to support the State’s goal of achieving 1,000 new miles of dedicated bikeways in New Jersey.  Mayor Mironov and Council Members successfully obtained the largest award in the highly competitive grant program as one of only three statewide awardees, despite 41 municipal applications being submitted. 

According to Mayor Mironov, the Township currently is in the process of preliminary design and engineering of the trail extension, with the Township-retained engineer funded by a $135,000 grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission through the Regional Trails Program.