The Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation is joining Mercer County to assess the feasibility of a walking and biking route that could one day connect Trenton, Ewing, Lawrence, and Princeton.
Connecting the almost-completed 22-mile LHT to neighboring communities is a top priority for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation.
The $175,000 award to Mercer County comes from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Greater Philadelphia region that includes Mercer County. It is one of six grants made to New Jersey applicants this year.
The grant will allow Mercer County to hire consultants who will work with its planning department, the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation, and officials in Trenton, Ewing, Lawrence, and Princeton to assess what is being called the Johnson Trolley Trail Corridor.
Based on the findings of this feasibility study, funding could then be sought to do detailed design and engineering work, followed eventually by construction.
“We are very grateful to the DVRPC, Mercer County, the City of Trenton, Ewing and Lawrence Townships, and the Municipality of Princeton as partners in this endeavor,” said Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation Chair David Sandahl. “Working together, we will make the vision of reconnecting our communities a reality.”
“This grant is a crucial step in helping the LHT connect to these communities,” said Lisa Serieyssol, the LHT’s Executive Director. “Trails and active transportation networks are essential infrastructure to address equitably the most pressing issues facing our region–from economic development, to climate resiliency, mobility, and bicyclist and pedestrian safety.”
