http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/nj/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1141449261316900.xml&coll=2 Railroad switch rolls on - Conversion to trails New Jersey continues with purchases, creation of network for public recreation. Saturday, March 04, 206 By LYNN OLANOFF The Express-Times Area hiking trails are growing little by little and mile by mile. Nine miles to be exact. That's the amount state Department of Environmental Protection officials announced Friday has been purchased of the former Lehigh & Hudson River Railway Co.'s right-of-way for use as a public recreation trail. That land includes 19 acres in Washington Township, 17.5 acres in Allamuchy Township, seven acres in White Township and 43.5 acres in Sussex County, DEP officials said. The entire open-space purchase cost $283,590. The Allamuchy section connects to a stretch of the former railway already converted into trails through Independence and Liberty townships. The Washington and White sections are five unconnected sections, though DEP officials hope to purchase more portions of the former railway, spokeswoman Darlene Yuhas said. The former 61-mile railway stretched from Belvidere to Greycourt, N.Y. Also, the Warren County purchases are part of the department's planned future connections to Allamuchy Mountain State Park and the Pequest Wildlife Management Area. "This acquisition advances our goal of creating a network of open spaces throughout the Garden State," DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson said in a statement. The Sussex sections, which include lands in Andover Borough, Andover Township and Green Township, connect to the 20-mile Sussex Branch Trail, another former railway. That trail connects to the 27-mile Paulinskill Valley Trail, a former railway that includes nine miles in Knowlton, Blairstown and Frelinghuysen townships. In all, the state now owns about 65 miles of former railways in the region used for trails. The trails are popular with Warren County residents and also are a draw to bring people to the county, said Art Charlton, director of the county public information and tourism department. "It's a very good reuse for those transportation corridors," Charlton said. "It accommodates different levels of hikers very well." Reporter Lynn Olanoff can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by e-mail at lolanoff_@_express-times.com. Gary R. Kazin DL&W Milepost R35.7 Rockaway, New Jersey __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org ------------------------------
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