The project connects four County towns - Lawrence Township, Ewing, Hopewell, and Pennington. Patch StaffMERCER COUNTY, NJ – Mercer County has received a $2.9 million grant for developing the Great Western Bikeway Projects that connects four towns including Lawrence Township, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) said.A total of $18.7 million was given to eight projects across the state as part of the 2024 Regional Transportation Alternatives Program (RTA Set Aside). The bikeway project runs through ...
The project connects four County towns - Lawrence Township, Ewing, Hopewell, and Pennington.
Patch Staff
MERCER COUNTY, NJ – Mercer County has received a $2.9 million grant for developing the Great Western Bikeway Projects that connects four towns including Lawrence Township, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) said.
A total of $18.7 million was given to eight projects across the state as part of the 2024 Regional Transportation Alternatives Program (RTA Set Aside). The bikeway project runs through Lawrence Township, Ewing, Hopewell, and Pennington.
“The New Jersey Department of Transportation is committed to advancing Governor Murphy’s vision of a safe transportation system that accommodates all users – whether they are pedestrians, bicyclists, or mobility-impaired,” NJDOT Commissioner Fran O’Connor said. “These grants use federal funding for larger pedestrian safety and bikeway projects that will improve the quality of life for all.”
The competitive RTA Set Aside program was initiated by NJDOT to provide funding opportunities for projects that cost more than $1.5 million and would have difficulty securing funding through other competitive Local Aid programs.
NJDOT has chosen to focus on projects that design and build pedestrian, bicycle, and other nonmotorized facilities; convert abandoned rail facilities to trails; construction of scenic overlooks; streetscaping projects; preservation of historic transportation structures; environmental mitigation related to stormwater management; and projects that reduce wildlife collisions or maintain connectivity for animal habit.
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Each individual municipality is responsible for implementing its Transportation Alternative Set-Aside projects.
The Great Western Bikeway (GWB) is a planned network of dedicated bicycle facilities throughout Mercer County.
The primary route, Segment 1, will provide a continuous 10-mile bicycle route running east-west, predominantly along County Route (CR) 546 within Hopewell Township, Pennington Borough, and Lawrence Township and link between two branches of the D&R Canal State Park Trail: at Washington Crossing State Park to the west and Bakers Basin Road to the east.
Two secondary routes will link Ewing Township to the south (Segment 2, CR 611) and Pennington Borough’s downtown district to the north (Segment 3, CR 640). Design and Construction costs are funded by federal funds administered through NJDOT Local Aid Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP).
The project will ultimately establish 17.5 miles of bikeable shoulders, bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, two-way cycle tracks, and multi-use paths on Mercer County highways that are already relatively well-suited for bicycle travel.
Construction on the project is anticipated to start in winter 2025 or spring 2026.
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