The idea of connecting Plainsboro and West Windsor — and their two high schools — by means of a scenic seven-mile pathway may seem like a good idea on the surface. But officials from both township’s say the idea has been studied many times and that it’s easier said than done.
The prospect of creating an inter-town trail from Plainsboro Pond down to Mercer Lake through expansion of the Trolley Line Trail was examined in the May 28 issue of this paper.
Fulfilling the idea is virtually impossible without permission from PSE&G, which owns the right of way along the defunct Fast Line Trolley. PSE&G, which has placed high-tension lines along the former rail line, has said it will not sign off on its completion for reasons including safety issues, said Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu.
“Their concerns were over issues about security and safety,” said Cantu. “They did provide a pilot project in West Windsor, but they were certainly not very positive about further expansion.”
“It’s a good idea if you can do it,” Cantu added. “But you can’t do it unless you get approval. We already did explore it several years ago, but they were not willing to expand that easement for us for a pathway system. The last time we checked, they still weren’t willing to expand it.”
The official Trolley Line Trail as it exists today spans a 2.5-mile stretch in West Windsor from Rabbit Hill Road near Cranbury Neck Road and continues to Penn Lyle Road near Village Road West. The open pathway continues toward Mercer Lake, and the addition of two more miles of trail to reach the lake are already in the works, said West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, who also said PSE&G is willing to go no further with the trail.
Still, the trail remains unrivaled, Hsueh claims. “It’s the only trolley line trail in the whole state of New Jersey,” Hsueh said. “I pushed for it when I took over the mayor’s office in 2001. It took me three years to come to an agreement with PSE&G.”
The development of the trail came from $200,000 in funding from the federal government to build what is now called the Pig Town Bridge, and $100,000 from the state Department of Transportation to build a passageway.
“We have another $200,000 to finish the missing link from Mercer County Park boathouse to New Village Road,” said Hsueh. “It’s happening now. What we’re doing is going through the bidding process. The township already has permission from the county to use the property along South Post Road at the edge of the golf course.”
Getting this far certainly was no walk in the park. “It took me three years including a lot of political contacts and networking,” Hsueh said. Adding any connections will be even harder, he said, echoing Cantu.
“Plainsboro wanted to do this but couldn’t get permission from PSE&G,” Hsueh added. “I was told this is the first one and last because they’re not going to give any more permission in the near future.”
Aside from having to convince PSE&G to allow for development of a trail on its remaining property, the proposal for a connection through West Windsor’s border into Plainsboro is also not a popular idea with residents in that area.
Bettie Greber, whose family owns the Wildflowers horse farm on Cranbury Road near the boarder with Plainsboro, said the family would be very concerned about the safety for pedestrian and bikes riders who would then be crossing through the middle of her family’s property if the path were created.
The family leases the property under the high-tension wires for agricultural purposes, but any one else who walks on the PSE&G right-of-way is trespassing. “The trespassing issues are very serious,” she said. “Most people are cooperative. They think it is open space, but it’s not public property.”
Further, the trestle over the Millstone Creek is not stable enough to safely withstand pedestrians and bikers, Greber said.
The family was so concerned when prospects of a trail were discussed that they approached the Township Council, which assured the family the path was stopping at Rabbit Hill Road.
On top of safety concerns for the passersby, Greber said the family also worries about the safety of the horses on her farm. “Because it’s a farm and people cherish open spaces here so much, they think it’s public property,” she said. “People reach through the fences. They climb the fences and feed and pet the horses,” conditions which are not safe for the people or horses.
“If there were a bike or pedestrian path cutting through our property, I don’t know what we would do,” she said. “The path would go between the pastures where we walk the horses,” and that could set up a horse to be spooked.
Not everyone has dismissed the idea. Jerry Foster, of the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance has submitted a letter (see page 3) stating the organization endorses the idea, but acknowledges the concerns of the surrounding property owners, and the challenges that need to be overcome for the trail to become a reality.
