Hackensack River Greenway

Newark Bay looking east to Jersey City and Bayonne
The Hackensack in Secaucus

Hackensack River Greenway, once known as the Hackensack RiverWalk,[1] a is partially constructed greenway along the Newark Bay and Hackensack River in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.[2][3][4][5][6]

The 18-mile (29 km) linear park, which closely follows the contour of the water's edge where possible, runs along the west side of Bergen Neck peninsula between its southern tip at Bergen Point (40°38′40″N 74°08′29″W / 40.644476°N 74.141422°W / 40.644476; -74.141422), where it would connect to the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, and the Eastern Brackish Marsh in the north (40°48′07″N 74°01′36″W / 40.801873°N 74.026798°W / 40.801873; -74.026798).[7] The walkway passes through the contiguous municipalities of Bayonne (5.5 linear miles),[8][9][10][11] Jersey City (5.6 linear miles), and Secaucus[12][13] with a potential connection to a walkway in North Bergen.[1] It passes through new and established residential neighborhoods, county and municipal parks, brownfields, industrial areas, commercial districts, and wetland preserves. While existing parks and promenades have been incorporated and new sections have been built there remain gaps.[14] It will pass under sixteen bridges (some no longer in use) and cross over eight natural creeks.[15] A section will run concurrently with the proposed Essex - Hudson Greenway and it will intersect with the proposed Morris Canal Greenway. Since 1988, in accordance with the public trust doctrine New Jersey law requires new construction built within 100 feet (30 m) of the water must provide 30 feet (9.1 m) of public space along the water's edge.[16]

After a preliminary assessment in 2015,[17] in September 2022 the Lower Hackensack was declared a federal superfund site, triggering a process to remediate and restore the water and shoreline.[18][19][20]

The Hackensack River Greenway Through Teaneck is a National Recreation Trail[21] which is not connected to the one in Hudson County.

Bergen Point from Bayonne Bridge
Newark Bay from Bayonne shoreline
  1. ^ a b Hudson County Planning Board (February 15, 2022). "Hackensack River Greenway" (PDF). www.hcnj.us. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2022. The Hackensack RiverWalk is a planned waterfront walkway stretching along the Hackensack River, from Newark Bay in Bayonne to Bellman's Creek in North Bergen. Its goal is to provide a continuous pedestrian trail to connect parks, retail, office, commercial, and residential areas of Hudson County...The Hackensack RiverWalk is an on- going project, and is in various stages of completion.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Access to the Region's Core in Hudson County, New Jersey and New York County, New York: Environmental Impact Statement. 2008. p. 10.
  4. ^ "The other waterfront walkway 18-mile Hackensack RiverWalk in Hudson County still underdeveloped". Archive.hudsonreporter.com. May 16, 2006.
  5. ^ "Hackenack Riverwalk Plan proposal 2003" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 10, 2009.
  6. ^ "Hackesack River - Hudson County" (PDF). Hudson County, New Jersey.
  7. ^ Journal, Corey W. McDonald | The Jersey (December 20, 2016). "Waterfront walkway around Hudson County slowly but surely progressing". nj.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "RiverWalk in Bayonne far from finished, priority for city development". NJ.com. December 30, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  9. ^ "Bayonne's 'masterplan' includes Hackensack RiverWalk extension". Nj.com. December 30, 2013.
  10. ^ "Municipal Public Access Plan The City of Bayonne" (PDF). Nj.gov. April 25, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  11. ^ "Ever Green". Hudsonreporter.com. May 3, 2019.
  12. ^ Municipal Public Access Plan Town of Secaucus (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Department. 2015.
  13. ^ Sullivan, Al; Writer, Senior Staff (July 21, 2000). "A path of their own; Town constructing its own nature walk along the river".
  14. ^ "NJMC". Njmeadowlands.gov. Retrieved July 23, 2022.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ "Hackensack River Walk Plan Draft" (PDF). Hudson County, New Jersey. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2022.
  16. ^ Beckerman, Jim (July 18, 2019). "We covered the waterfront". The Record. Retrieved August 3, 2022. Starting in 1988, Coastal Zone Management Rules, created by the state's Department of Environmental Protection, required builders erecting anything within 100 feet of the water to provide at least 30 feet of public space at the waterfront. In 1999, home builders challenged the law. It was upheld by a federal judge: the public, he declared, must have access to the water...And private land (much of the walkway's length is controlled by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey) is grandfathered in. Owners must provide access to the water, but no more. They're not obligated to provide a true recreational space for the public until the property is redeveloped, or repurposed.
  17. ^ https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-11/documents/r_hackensack_river_pa_09292015.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  18. ^ "Restoring the Lower Hackensack River: Investigation and Cleanup under EPA's Superfund Program". nj.gov. NJDEP.
  19. ^ Zeitlinger, Ron; Maher, Jake (March 17, 2022). "Lower Hackensack River to be added to list of EPA Superfund sites". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  20. ^ "Hackensack River added to list of NJ Superfund sites, triggering a miles-long cleanup". North Jersey Media Group. September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  21. ^ Prosnitz, Howard. "U.S. names Greenway as National Recreation Trail", Teaneck Suburbanite, July 1, 2009. Accessed December 18, 2013.