What began eight years ago as an idea for a trail that sprawls 53 miles across the state from the shore to Trenton has come to fruition one piece at a time, and one part of it has found a home along Old Trenton Road in West Windsor.
Now that West Windsor portion of what is known as the Capital to Coast Trail is finally ready for public exploration, officials will celebrate its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, August 20, at 10:30 a.m.##M:[more]##
The 53-mile Capital to Coast trail links Manasquan Beach with the state capital in Trenton. West Windsor’s portion of the trail is located on property owned by the county and occupied by the VoTec School campus on Old Trenton Road.
The idea for the trail was conceived in 2000 by Fred Lockenmeyer and Rudy Buser, of Manasquan, the founding members of the Friends of the Capital to the Coast Trail. The two made a presentation to township officials in 2000, and the township adopted a resolution in support of the trail in order to become eligible for funding of its portion of it. In August, 2003, the state Department of Environmental Protection granted West Windsor $24,”000 to develop its section of the trail.
The trail would “connect and integrate existing trails and establish a continuous pathway for bikers, hikers, and horsemen to permit the exploration of the state and county parks as well as the historically interesting areas along the way,” officials stated in a press release.
According to Sam Surtees, the township’s land use division manager, he was contacted by the two men from Manasquan. They brought the idea up to their own mayor, who approved the beginning of the trail there, and eventually made their way to Great Turkey Swamp in Freehold. Then they decided to expand it all the way to Trenton, Surtees said.
That involved collecting county and town maps of all kinds, driving the routes, and drawing up maps of what they felt were the best routes to get to Trenton. One by one, they met with officials from each municipality along the way.
The site in West Windsor where the trail has been completed actually was not their first option, however, Surtees said. Originally, officials planned to bring the trail in through the Assunpink Wildlife Preserve, which runs into the township near Route 130 and Windsor Road in Robbinsville, where it would go into Mercer County Park.
But, “the cost to acquire the easements and so forth made it cost prohibitive to go that way,” Surtees said. “We took a look at another route, and worked with Robbinsville. They wanted it to tie into their town center development from Monmouth County.”
The developers of that town center actually built parts of the trail there and set the tone for where it would come in through West Windsor. The properties that house the trail are owned by three county entities — Mercer County Community College, the VoTec, and the Mercer County Park Commission. In order to get approval for the trails and receive the $24,”000 in funding from the state, West Windsor officials had to gain approval from these entities.
As it turns out, the park commission will be maintaining the trail, and Mercer County rangers will be patrolling it. The next portion of the Coast to Capital trail will be developed in Hamilton, Surtees says. Signage for the entire length of the 53-mile trail will be the same throughout, with each sign advising hikers and bicyclists as to which municipality they are currently traversing.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place near the traffic light in front of the VoTec school.
