The Greenway is being built on a former rail line.
Ground was officially broken for the first phase of the Greenway project – a nine-mile, 100-foot-wide former rail line that will run from Jersey City through Bloomfield and Glen Ridge to Montclair.
Gov. Phil Murphy joined local, county, and state officials Tuesday, July 15, at the groundbreaking that took place at the future Newark Central Activity Center, located between Summer Avenue and Broadway.
“Spanning two of the most densely populated counties in the country, the Greenway will be a new landmark that reflects who we are and where we’re going,” Murphy said. “When it’s complete, the Greenway will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best urban parks in the country and will create opportunities for economic growth in the surrounding communities. It will belong to the people who live here, ride it, walk it, and raise their kids alongside it.”
Once complete, the Greenway will connect eight communities across Essex and Hudson Counties – Jersey City, Secaucus, Kearny, Newark, Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, and Montclair. The project aims to create a linear, multi-use corridor that supports walking, biking, and active transportation while fostering community connections and enhancing regional environmental quality.
“This groundbreaking ceremony in historic Newark marks a milestone, beginning the long-awaited transformation of an abandoned rail-line into a world-class urban park that will be a significant recreational and economic asset for New Jersey,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette.
“Breaking ground on the Greenway is not only the result of two and-a-half years of community outreach, planning and design, but the realization of a vision long championed by local residents and nonprofit organizations who saw the potential in this unused rail corridor,” said Maggie McCann, DEP Administrator for Urban State Parks & Initiatives. “With construction soon to be underway on the Newark segment, we’re excited to continue this momentum as we plan for the next phase of the Greenway.”
Expected to open by the end of 2026, the Newark phase of the project will allow walkers, joggers and cyclists to travel from Branch Brook Park Drive to Broadway on a meandering ADA-accessible trail lined with native plantings.
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