T he new Barnegat Branch Rail Trail Bikeway project will have the ability to carry bicyclists and pedestrians along the 15.6-mile former Jersey Central rail line. Successful completion of the project will enable the Barnegat Branch Trail to join the other 43 existing and proposed rail-trail projects across New Jersey.

There will be three phases of the project. Phase 1 will stretch from Bay Avenue in Barnegat north to Country Lane in Waretown. The first part of Phase 1 will connect Bay Avenue to the Pancoast Road in Waretown (2.7 miles) in 2007 while the last half-mile to Country Lane (0.5 miles) will be completed in 2008 pending funding.

Phase 2 will connect South Street in Lacey to the Berkeley-Beachwood border (4.4 miles). Phase 3 will connect Country Lane in Waretown to South Street in Lacey (6.6 miles).

This trail will provide the public with an environmentally friendly north-south route alternative to Route 9. While initially the route will primarily serve recreational users, the trail use can accommodate a broader range of functional, non-recreational trips, providing some permanent relief of traffic congestion.

For more information about the progress of the trail, visit the Ocean County Planning Department site. The downloadable file about the project includes the planning objectives, the Barnegat Branch Railroad history, a photographic & informational tour of the trail’s corridor, the trail’s benefits, and management & security factors relavent to the trail.

For more photos of the official opening ceremonies of the Barnegat Branch Rail Trail on October 15th click here.