Newark to open boardwalk along Passaic River

In an effort to revamp and clean up the Passaic River, Plans for the construction of a waterfront park in Newark, New Jersey along the polluted river are continuing, the New York Times reported.

The second phase of Riverfront Park is set to open on Aug. 3: an 800-foot-long, $9.3 million orange boardwalk, designed by landscape architect Lee Weintraub in collaboration with the city’s planning office.

Phase 1 was completed last summer: a $15 million complex of playing fields on formerly derelict land, a couple of miles north of a giant sewage treatment plant, in the Ironbound district.

Nearly half the money has come from the state, with the rest coming from federal and county sources, along with private contributions solicited by Newark Mayor Cory Booker and the nonprofit Trust for Public Land.

Newark’s planning director Damon Rich said that the ultimate goal is to create more than three miles of greenway, a riverfront ribbon with bike and walking paths stretching all the way through downtown to residential neighborhoods in the north.

Finishing this project will require a significant amount political perseverance, especially since the city is not known for reliable governance and the mayor is now running for U.S. Senate. [NYT] – James Comtois