In a continued effort to grow the County’s regional trails network, the Burlington County Commissioners announced the development of a preliminary plan to extend a key trail across Route 130 and the Rancocas Creek
The County’s latest plan calls for the extension of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail from Pennington Park in Delanco, across both the Rancocas Creek and Route 130, to separate connections with Willingboro Lakes Park in Willingboro and Rainbow Meadow Park in Delran.
The project plans include construction of a boardwalk-style shared use path along the southbound Route 130 embankment and underneath the highway that will connect to a new independent pedestrian and bicycle bridge across the Rancocas Creek.
After crossing Route 130 and the creek, the proposed trail route will include a combination of on and off-road segments to run along South Bridgeboro, Rancocas, and Clay Streets before connecting to interior trails within Rainbow Meadow Park. The trail will also travel through Willingboro along Route 130 and Lake Drive before connecting to Willingboro Lakes Park and its interior trails.
All aspects of the project will be fully accessible and will help link three County parks while providing a critical, safe crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists beneath Route 130, one of New Jersey’s most dangerous roads.
The new trail segment will also become part of the Circuit Trails network planned throughout South Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“Mobility and accessibility are issues we care about deeply in Burlington County, so we are excited to take another step to extend our network of more than 50 miles of regional and interior park trails,” said Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel, the liaison to the Department of Resource Conservation and Parks. “This new trail segment will extend our network and connect three popular County Parks. It will also provide an important route for vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists to travel across the Rancocas Creek and Route 130, providing a long-sought safe connection for both sides of the highway.”
“Burlington County continues to make progress developing new trails to connect parks, downtowns, and other destinations,” added Commissioner Randy Brolo. “This trail segment may be one of the most important yet. It will fill a gap in our trail system and also provide the safe crossing on Route 130 that is so badly needed.”
Public Input
The proposed trail segment – called the Rancocas Creek Greenway Route 130/Rancocas Creek Crossing – is in the Local Concept Development Phase where planners determine a preliminary route for the new trail, including the preferred location to cross Route 130.
Planners selected the preferred route beneath the Route 130 Bridge following an in-depth evaluation of alternative crossings with different infrastructure, including proposed overpasses. The review considered safety, environmental impacts, construction costs, and public input, including comments from a Public Information Meeting about the project held in March.
Residents and stakeholders are invited to provide input about the new preliminary route and crossing during an upcoming Public Information Meeting on Wednesday, August 26. The meeting will be held virtually from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will include a presentation from engineers and planners about the project. Members of the public may also dial into and listen to the meeting by calling 877-284-0719 with Conference ID 657 690 620#.
Improving pedestrian safety
Route 130 has been named New Jersey’s “most dangerous road for pedestrians” multiple times by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign due to the number of pedestrian fatalities on the highway.
According to the latest available New Jersey Department of Transportation accident data, there were 65 accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists on Route 130 in Burlington County between 2019 to 2024, resulting in 10 fatalities.
“The deaths and injuries on Route 130 over the years are proof positive that more needs to be done to improve safety for all road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists,” said State Senator Troy Singleton, who sponsored 2018 legislation to reduce the speed limit and make other safety improvements on Route 130 within Burlington City. “Infrastructure enhancements, like the one Burlington County is planning, will absolutely save lives and improve mobility through the Route 130 corridor.”
Enhancing Burlington County parks and trails
Early cost projections for the new trail segment and bridge will likely cost around $30 million and is expected to be funded entirely with federal transportation aid.
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), which is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for Burlington County and the Greater Philadelphia Region, has already approved $700,000 for planning and design on the project. The DVRPC has also approved adding the project to the New Jersey Transportation Improvement Program, also known as TIP. The move is a critical step for receiving federal transportation funding to cover the engineering and design, right of way property acquisition, construction, and inspection costs for the project.
Burlington County has already received and invested more than $28 million in grants towards its earlier trail projects, including the first 4-mile segment of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail between Amico Island Park in Delran and Pennington Park which opened in 2022.
Eventually, the County’s plans call for extending the trail the entire 30-mile length of the Rancocas Creek from the Delaware River to its source in Pemberton Township.
In addition to the Route 130/Rancocas Creek Crossing segment, the County is also studying possible routes for a trail segment between Historic Smithville Park across Route 206 to the Birmingham section of Pemberton Township.
Burlington County is also preparing to begin construction on new improvements to Willingboro Lakes Parks, located off Route 130 and Beverly Rancocas Road in Willingboro. The park currently has 3 miles of interior trails, plus fishing piers, an accessible playground, and a small group pavilion. The County is expected to begin construction later this year on $3 million in improvements,including additional parking and boardwalks within the 105-acre site. Burlington County is eligible for $1.5 million in State Green Acres Program reimbursement for project costs.
“Willingboro Lakes is one of the County’s most attractive parks, and we’re eager to make these additional improvements to make it even more of an asset for our residents and communities,” said Commissioner Eckel. “Extending the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail across Route 130 to connect it with Rainbow Meadow Park is another important enhancement that will make our parks more accessible for all our residents to visit and enjoy.”
