Christie banking on park development along Trenton riverfront

Gov. Chris Christie is touting plans for developing a 4.5-acre strip of land along the Delaware River as a park to help revitalize New Jersey’s capital city.

The state Department of Transportation will use $15 million in federal funds to build a pedestrian walkway over Route 29 from the Trenton site to the roof of the Statehouse parking garage.

“It’s going to provide access to a part of the Trenton waterfront separated from the downtown area since the 1950s when Route 29 was developed,” the governor said Wednesday. “DEP will use an estimated $3.5 million of Natural Resource Damage Funds for the development of the park which will include plantings, paths, and lighting.”

Making it easier to get to the waterfront will attract more visitors to Trenton and benefit the struggling city’s economy, he said.

“It’s really remarkable that the entire west boundary of Trenton, more than 5 miles, is bordered by the Delaware River, yet 84,000 Trentonians are completely disconnected from the river and its potential,” he said, speaking at a podium with the river as a backdrop.