Hudson River Waterfront Walkway

The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as the Hudson River Walkway, is a promenade along the Hudson Waterfront in New Jersey. The ongoing and incomplete project located on Kill van Kull and the western shore of Upper New York Bay and the Hudson River was implemented as part of a New Jersey state-mandated master plan to connect the municipalities from the Bayonne Bridge to the George Washington Bridge with an urban linear park and provide contiguous unhindered access to the water's edge.

"Hudson River Walkway" redirects here. Not to be confused with Hudson River Greenway.
Walkway adjacent to Liberty National Golf Course

There is no projected date for its completion, though large segments have been built or incorporated into it since its inception.[1][2] The southern end in Bayonne may eventually connect to the Hackensack RiverWalk, another proposed walkway along Newark Bay and Hackensack River on the west side of the Hudson County peninsula,[3] and form part of a proposed Harbor Ring around the harbor. Its northern end is in Palisades Interstate Park, allowing users to continue along the river bank and alpine paths to the New Jersey/New York state line and beyond. (A connection to the Long Path, a 330-mile (530 km) hiking trail with terminus near Albany, is feasible.)

As of 2007, eleven miles (18 km) of walkway have been completed, with an additional five miles (8 km) designated HRWW along Broadway in Bayonne. A part of the East Coast Greenway, or ECG, a project to create a nearly 3000-mile (4828 km) urban path linking the major cities along the Atlantic coast runs concurrent with the HRWW.[4][5]

In 2013 the walkway showed signs of age. Some of the pilings on which it is built succumbed to marine worms and effects of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey, which undermined bedding.[6]

Route
NASA image of the lower Hudson

The distance of the walkway from beginning to end is approximately 18.5 miles (29.8 km) as "the crow flies". It is considerably longer as it follows the contour of the shoreline.[7]

It traverses established residential and commercial areas, re-developed piers, wetland preservation zones, industrial and transportation infrastructure, and is dotted with public and private marinas and parks. Expansive views of the water and the New York skyline can be seen from most of its length. It passes through the following municipalities, which have combined population of approximately 545,000, as of the 2010 census.[8]

History

A walkway or promenade along the northeastern New Jersey waterfront was first discussed at a state level in the late 1970s. In 1988, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection created the Coastal Zone Management Rules, which outlined the regulations and specifications for its construction. They require anyone building within 100 feet (30 m) of the water's edge to provide a minimum of 30 feet (9.1 m) wide open, public space along the shoreline. Construction must be permitted by the agency and paid for by the developer. In 1999, the National Association of Home Builders and the New Jersey Builders Association challenged the obligation in court as an unfair taking of private property under eminent domain, saying that property owners should be compensated as specified by the "Takings clause" of the Fifth Amendment. A federal judge rejected the suit, upholding a state rule that requires property owners to provide access to the waterfront.[9][10][11] By the end of 2019, most of the Walkway was complete. Only seven "gaps" remain to be built from Liberty State Park in Jersey City to the George Washington Bridge. Major sections of the Walkway remain unbuilt in industrial Bayonne.[12]

The Hudson River and Manhattan skyline, as seen from Hoboken waterfront

Parks and points of interest
Bayonne Bridge at sunset
Plaque marking site of the Black Tom explosion
Flags at half-staff in Liberty State Park
Exchange Place/Colgate Clock
The Powerhouse
Pier A
Galaxy Towers
Looking north to George Washington Bridge

See also

References
  1. Kelly, Mike (October 16, 2008). "Hudson River Walkway is far from finished". The Record. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  2. Hortillosa, Summer Dawn (September 13, 2011). "PHOTOS: Hudson River Walkway tour to showcase waterfront's beauty, history". NJ.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  3. McDonald, Corey W. (2016-12-20). "Waterfront walkway around Hudson County slowly but surely progressing". NJ.com. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  4. "HRWW and East Coast Greenway". Liberty Water Gap Trail. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  5. "East Coast Greenway" (PDF). Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-27. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  6. Hack, Charles (March 9, 2013). "New Jersey Land Conservation Rally will address Hudson River waterfront today at NJIT". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  7. Hevesi, Dennis (August 15, 1999). "A River Walk's Piecemeal Birth". The New York Times.
  8. Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010 Archived 2017-08-07 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011, Accessed March 13, 2021
  9. "Judge Upholds Law on Waterfront Access". The New York Times. August 19, 1999. Accessed October 7, 2007.
  10. Hevesi, Dennis (August 15, 1999). "A River Walk's Piecemeal Birth". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  11. "Daily poll: Do you believe coastal access rules should be changed?". NJ.com/The Jersey Journal. March 24, 2011
  12. Fry, Chris (30 June 2021). "Bayonne Plans to Add New Pedestrian Bridge Along Hudson River". Jersey Digs.
  13. Applebome, Peter. "Our Towns; A Promenade and a Trail, Ready to Meet a Greenway", The New York Times, August 3, 2005. Accessed October 7, 2007.
  14. "Revolution: Pre-Revolution". Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
  15. Winson, Terrie (March 2002). "Lenni Lenape". Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  16. Adams, Hudson River Guidebook, p. 106

40.571066°N 74.217281°W / 40.571066; -74.217281

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