A beautiful day in the countryside. |
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What a great day for a ride
Last weekend, the September 11th National Memorial Trail hosted the fourth annual 2022 Tour de Trail to the Flight 93 National Memorial and back on Saturday, September 24 from 9 a.m. till 2 p.m. This date was significant as it marked the 20th anniversary of President George Bush signing legislation into law authorizing the creation of the Flight 93 National Memorial. The 12-mile rural and scenic route from Berlin, PA to the Flight 93 National Memorial showcased the beautiful vista of Somerset County, PA to the 120 riders in attendance. Once at the memorial, cyclists had the option of attending a 30 minute interpretative presentation from the National Park Service about the “Story of Flight 93” at the memorial plaza. The presentation was well attended and the Alliance hopes to partner again with the National Park Service to have a similar presentation at future events.
After the event, much needed beer, food, and camaraderie were on display amongst the riders and volunteers at Whitehorse Brewery located along the 9/11 Trail in Berlin. The Tour de Trail is the largest annual fundraising event for the Alliance, if you couldn’t attend this year, please consider attending next year either in person or virtually and supporting a great cause. All proceeds from the ride goes directly towards the organization to help cover its general operating costs. For those who were able to join us for the incredible day, thank you for coming out – we hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did.
We hope to see you all at next year's Tour de Trail!
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Marking a major milestone for trails and greenways in New Jersey. |
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New Jersey Greenway
On September 15, 2022, the Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, hosted a dedication ceremony for what was a culmination of a four-year partnership. The partnership between the Open Space Institute, New Jersey Bike Walk Coalition, and the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance along with assistance by Northeast Track Solutions facilitated the largest real estate transaction for a non-motorized transportation corridor in the history of New Jersey. The partnership negotiated a 65-million-dollar transaction for a 135-acre nearly 9-mile-long former railroad parcel known as the Booton Line from Norfolk Southern Railroad Company. This corridor, which will be known as the Essex-Hudson Greenway will connect eight Essex and Hudson County communities: Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Belleville, Newark, Kearny, Secaucus, and Jersey City.
Once this corridor is fully developed it will allow 9/11 Trail users to skip more problematic sections of the current route in New Jersey. During the dedication, Governor Murphy promised to allocate an additional 20 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan to start the development of the project. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, who will oversee the development, will be hiring a consultant to do a master plan for the corridor. Currently, the property is still closed to the public, but will open in sections as they are developed.
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More trail on the way in Somerset. |
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Milestones: Money Money Money
The September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance, was awarded a grant from the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission Mini Grant Program. With this grant secured, Somerset County now has the funds to design, engineer, and complete the permit process for the second segment of the 9/11 Trail between Garrett and Berlin. The Alliance and the County expects to have the work bid in the last quarter of this year and to move forward with construction as soon as funding is secured.
If you have an interest in supporting the 9/11 Trail please email Jeffrey McCauley at jmccauley@911trail.org for more information.
See you on the Trail!
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Andrew S. Hamilton
Charmain, Board of Directors
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