CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A portion of a trail that would connect towns in Camden County from Winslow Township through Camden was pitched to residents Wednesday night. The proposed 34-mile trail is meant to improve access for bicyclists and pedestrians through the region and up to Philadelphia.
At an open forum Wednesday, the Camden County Parks Department presented a design for the Cooper River Bike/Pedestrian Bridge Project in the area of Camden where Admiral Wilson Boulevard crosses the Cooper River.
A 12-foot-wide bridge across the river would create a safer trail for people walking, running or biking, said Matt Ludwig, project manager of the Parks Department’s technical and engineering consultant, NV5. The hope is to give people easier access to public spaces and downtowns, while leaving the car at home.
"We really want to make it easy to get around our respective communities and create a more livable place. And making that connection between neighborhoods and businesses is an integral part of what we're doing,” Ludwig said.
Officials hope to link more than 800 miles of trails across the state, into Philly and its suburbs. The new Cooper River bridge is one segment of the larger Camden County LINK Trail plan, which will create an uninterrupted trail through 17 municipalities, from the Pinelands National Reserve in Winslow Township to the Ben Franklin Bridge in Camden.
After the trail is complete, Ludwig says, it could help rake in about $19.5 million a year through tourism.
Camden County Commissioner Jeff Nash made an economic argument as well.
"Trails have been known to enhance quality of life for residents, increase property values in and around the trail, and also, and very importantly, serve as an economic engine for businesses that are along the trails,” Nash said.
Ludwig said planners also hope the trail helps connect both sides of the city, split in half by the river.
"It's just going to be a way to help Camden grow,” Ludwig said. “Is it a silver bullet by itself? Of course not. It's just one piece of many things that are going to help Camden's future."
County officials say they hope the trail design will be completed in the spring, with construction starting shortly afterward, and they want it to be open for public use by the summer of 2024.