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TheHudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as theHudson River Walkway, is a promenade along theHudson Waterfront inNew Jersey. The ongoing and incomplete project located onKill van Kull and the western shore ofUpper New York Bay and theHudson River was implemented as part of a New Jersey state-mandated master plan to connect the municipalities from theBayonne Bridge to theGeorge Washington Bridge with an urbanlinear park and provide contiguous unhindered access to the water's edge.
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 inBayonne may eventually connect to theHackensack RiverWalk, another proposed walkway alongNewark Bay andHackensack River on the west side of theHudson County peninsula,[3] and form part of a proposed Harbor Ring around the harbor. Its northern end is inPalisades 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 theLong Path, a 330-mile (530 km) hiking trail with terminus nearAlbany, is feasible.)
As of 2007, eleven miles (18 km) of walkway have been completed, with an additional five miles (8.0 km) designated HRWW along Broadway in Bayonne. A part of theEast Coast Greenway, or ECG, a project to create a nearly 3,000-mile (4,800 km) urban path linking the major cities along theAtlantic coast runsconcurrent with the HRWW.[4][5]
In 2013 the walkway showed signs of age. Some of thepilings on which it is built succumbed tomarine worms andeffects of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey, which undermined bedding.[6]
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]
A walkway or promenade along the northeastern New Jersey waterfront was first discussed at a state level in the late 1970s. In 1988, theNew 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, theNational Association of Home Builders and the New Jersey Builders Association challenged the obligation in court as an unfair taking of private property undereminent domain, saying that property owners should be compensated as specified by the "Takings clause" of theFifth 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]
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| Hudson County Park System |
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| State and national parks | ||
| Municipal parks | ||
| Paths and promenades |
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| Meadowlands preserves |
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| Golf courses |
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| History |
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Municipalities and communities ofHudson County, New Jersey,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Towns | ||
| Townships | ||
| Regions | ||
40°34′16″N74°13′02″W / 40.571066°N 74.217281°W /40.571066; -74.217281