As an avid biker, I was happy to read the Star-Ledger’s excellent editorial supporting the proposed Essex-Hudson Greenway, a nine-mile walking and biking park like nothing that currently exists in northern New Jersey.  A single trail, comprising a 100-foot wide corridor extending from Jersey City to Montclair, will create more than 135 acres of green space and provide connections to beautiful Branch Brook Park and Laurel Hill Park with its access to the Meadowlands.  At the same time, this project will clean up a space that is currently littered with illegal dumping and old cars and trucks.

But to make this greenway happen, the various local players have to work together—and quickly—before Norfolk Southern Corporation sells the property in pieces. As the Star-Ledger editorial argues, Gov. Murphy needs to take the lead to create a plan to buy the land and create “our own High Line” as Sen. Teresa Ruiz put it.

Please contact the governor and urge him to act quickly by going to https://www.nj.gov/governor/contact/all/.  And email his deputy chief of staff of outreach at Deborah.Cornavaca@nj.gov. 

Let’s not miss this chance to create natural spaces and recreational opportunities for a diverse and densely populated urban community.