def #85 04/28/10
CONTRACT TO BE AWARDED FOR NEXT PHASE OF COUNTY TRAIL
THE OCEAN County Board of Chosen Freeholders is expected to award a contract May 5 for the construction of the third
section of the Barnegat Branch Trail, a linear park that will stretch from Barnegat to Toms River Township.
“This section will bring users through scenic areas of the Pines in Berkeley Township,” said Freeholder Director
James F. Lacey, who serves as liaison to the trail. “We are excited about getting this next section under way.”
The Board is expected to award a contract to M. L. Ruberton Construction Co., Folsom, in the amount of $534,962. The
county received a total of seven bids for the project. Construction is expected to start in early summer and be completed
by the fall. “This section travels through a beautiful area of the Pinelands in Ocean County with Cedar Creek being a
centerpiece,” Lacey said.
The trail, when completed will be a 15.6-mile linear park that runs from Barnegat Township to Toms River Township. About
three miles of the trail beginning at Burr Street in Barnegat to Waretown has been constructed and is open to the public.
The third section of the trail will span two-miles from Cedar Creek at Dudley Park to Maryland Avenue in Berkeley Township.
Work on the third section of the trail will include construction of a 10-foot wide path of crushed stone dust surface
through the area providing a path for bicyclists, walkers, joggers, and nature enthusiasts. The work also will include
safety markings at trail crossings at Serpentine Road and also Central Boulevard, construction of parking areas,
installation of benches, landscaping and interpretive signs.
Also, an elevated boardwalk through environmentally sensitive areas in Dudley Park will be constructed in order to improve
access to the trail through the municipal park.
“When this section is done, residents of the central part of the county can conveniently access the trail,” Lacey
said.
Ocean County appropriated $750,000 to build the third phase of the Barnegat Branch Trail. In addition, the county has
received a $313,000 grant from the state.
“This park is unique to Ocean County and features areas that residents and visitors may not have been able to experience
since they are deep in our natural woods,” Lacey said. “Each time we add to it, the park grows in popularity.”
Lacey noted that work on the second phase of the trail was completed in late spring.
“Some portions of the trail will be completed before others,” Lacey said. “We are addressing each area so that we can
provide the best design that would bring the most benefits to an area.”
The Barnegat Branch trail follows the existing right of way of the former Barnegat Branch Division of the Central Railroad
of New Jersey.
