Edgar Felix Bikeway
Encyclopedia
The Edgar Felix Bikeway is a multi-use trail in New Jersey
running from the beach
town of Manasquan
to the visitors center of Allaire State Park
, for
a total length of 5.4 miles (8.7 km).
It is a rail trail
that occupies trackage of the former Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad
and Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad
.
The bikeway opened with 2 miles (3.2 km) of trail in 1971, and has been expanded several times since.
The Edgar Felix was the first cycling trail created in the state of New Jersey
.
The Edgar Felix Trail benefited from three structures preserved from the railroads past,
two overpasses for Route 35, & Route 34, and
bridges over the Garden State Parkway
(the rail bridges were replaced with pedestrian/cycle
bridges during a road widening project).
trailheads.
Allaire State Park
This is the Edgar Felix's western trail head, and contains the
restored Allaire bog iron
village and
the Pine Creek Railroad. Bicycles are required to be walked within the state park, as specified on signage.
Note that the Allaire mountain biking
trails are not located here; the mountain biking trails can be accessed from the Edgar Felix Bikeway where it crosses Hospital Road about a mile from the park.http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/allaire.html
Route 18 Bikeway Spur
This is the trail's northern trail head, and is the latest addition to the Edgar Felix Trail.
Completed in 2005, the Route 18 spur extends about 1.75 miles (2.8 km)
from the Edgar Felix Trail to the Wall Township
municipal recreational complex along the abandoned
Route 18 right-of-way
.
The municipal complex and adjacent soccer fields provide ample parking, as well as another mile or
so of paved multi-use trail within the complex.
Unlike the original section of the Edgar Felix trail the Route 18 spur is not a former rail bed but rather an undeveloped limited access highway right-of-way, because of this the trail is subject to rapid changes in itsgrade and pathway.
The route 18 spur is unique in that it has electronic crosswalk warning signals at most of its road crossings, these crossing lights augment the standard Zebra crossing
and signage found on typical trail crossings. Unlike a HAWK beacon
, these lights are only amber caution flashers that do not require a motorist to stop.
Manasquan (North Main Street)
This is the eastern trail head for the Edgar Felix Trail and the site of the
original 2 miles (3.2 km) of the trail built in 1971. This is also the beginning
of the open road section of the Capital to Coast Trail
, a future state wide trail
that will link Trenton, NJ on the Delaware River
with Manasquan, NJ on the Atlantic Ocean
. Free Parking is available across the street from the trail head in a municipal lot.
Intermediate Access Points
Additional access points to the Edgar Felix bikeway include;
His lobbying led the town of Manasquan to obtain the eastern property rights to the abandoned Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad
in
1966. The following year the path was extended through the Allenwood
section of Wall Township, terminating at Hospital Road in Wall Township.
In 2004/2005, the trail was extended west from Hospital Road across state park
land to the public access area of Allaire State Park
and north along the abandoned Route 18 right-of-way to the Wall Township Municipal Complex.
from Monmouth County to add a spur trail that would extend the Edgar Felix trail 8/10ths of a mile along Hospital road to meet with the Allaire mountain biking trails. This new spur would begin where the current trail crosses Hospital road on its way to the main entrance of Allaire State Park. There is also a proposal to continue this new spur to the Howell Township border at a future date..
The unimproved right-of-way for the Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad continues west through Allaire State Park until it is severed by interstate 195
.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
running from the beach
town of Manasquan
Manasquan, New Jersey
-Government:Manasquan is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only...
to the visitors center of Allaire State Park
Allaire State Park
Allaire State Park is a park located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, near the town of Farmingdale, operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. The park is known for its restored 19th century...
, for
a total length of 5.4 miles (8.7 km).
It is a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
that occupies trackage of the former Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad
Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad
The Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad was a short-line railroad in New Jersey. Its former right-of-way, along with a portion of the Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad's right-of-way, has become the Edgar Felix Bikeway. The railroad was formed under a special law of New Jersey, on...
and Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad
Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad
The Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad was a short-line railroad in New Jersey. Its former right-of-way, along with a portion of the Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad's right-of-way, has become the Edgar Felix Bikeway and the Freehold right-of-way has become the Henry Hudson Trail...
.
The bikeway opened with 2 miles (3.2 km) of trail in 1971, and has been expanded several times since.
The Edgar Felix was the first cycling trail created in the state of New Jersey
.
The Edgar Felix Trail benefited from three structures preserved from the railroads past,
two overpasses for Route 35, & Route 34, and
bridges over the Garden State Parkway
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway is a 172.4-mile limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York line at Montvale, New Jersey, to Cape May at New Jersey's southernmost tip. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State." Most New Jersey residents refer...
(the rail bridges were replaced with pedestrian/cycle
bridges during a road widening project).
Trail heads
There are many access points along the Edgar Felix bikeway, but there are three terminatingtrailheads.
Allaire State Park
Allaire State Park
Allaire State Park is a park located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, near the town of Farmingdale, operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. The park is known for its restored 19th century...
This is the Edgar Felix's western trail head, and contains the
restored Allaire bog iron
Bog iron
Bog iron refers to impure iron deposits that develop in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in the solutions. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite...
village and
the Pine Creek Railroad. Bicycles are required to be walked within the state park, as specified on signage.
Note that the Allaire mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
trails are not located here; the mountain biking trails can be accessed from the Edgar Felix Bikeway where it crosses Hospital Road about a mile from the park.http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/allaire.html
Route 18 Bikeway Spur
This is the trail's northern trail head, and is the latest addition to the Edgar Felix Trail.
Completed in 2005, the Route 18 spur extends about 1.75 miles (2.8 km)
from the Edgar Felix Trail to the Wall Township
Wall Township, New Jersey
Wall Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 26,164.Wall Township was formally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1851...
municipal recreational complex along the abandoned
Abandonment
The term abandonment has a multitude of uses, legal and extra-legal. This "signpost article" provides a guide to the various legal and quasi-legal uses of the word and includes links to articles that deal with each of the distinct concepts at greater length...
Route 18 right-of-way
Easement
An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...
.
The municipal complex and adjacent soccer fields provide ample parking, as well as another mile or
so of paved multi-use trail within the complex.
Unlike the original section of the Edgar Felix trail the Route 18 spur is not a former rail bed but rather an undeveloped limited access highway right-of-way, because of this the trail is subject to rapid changes in itsgrade and pathway.
The route 18 spur is unique in that it has electronic crosswalk warning signals at most of its road crossings, these crossing lights augment the standard Zebra crossing
Zebra crossing
A zebra crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing used in many places around the world. Its distinguishing feature is alternating dark and light stripes on the road surface, from which it derives its name. A zebra crossing typically gives extra rights of way to pedestrians.The use of zebra...
and signage found on typical trail crossings. Unlike a HAWK beacon
HAWK beacon
A HAWK beacon is a traffic signal used to stop road traffic and allow pedestrians to cross safely. It is officially known as a "pedestrian hybrid beacon". The purpose of a HAWK beacon is to allow protected pedestrian crossings, stopping road traffic only as needed...
, these lights are only amber caution flashers that do not require a motorist to stop.
Manasquan (North Main Street)
This is the eastern trail head for the Edgar Felix Trail and the site of the
original 2 miles (3.2 km) of the trail built in 1971. This is also the beginning
of the open road section of the Capital to Coast Trail
Capital to Coast Trail
The Capital to Coast Trail is a cross-state multi-use trail network that is designed to span the state of New Jersey from the Delaware River in Trenton to the beach front town of Manasquan on the Atlantic Ocean...
, a future state wide trail
that will link Trenton, NJ on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
with Manasquan, NJ on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Free Parking is available across the street from the trail head in a municipal lot.
Intermediate Access Points
Additional access points to the Edgar Felix bikeway include;
- A parking area along Atlantic Avenue just west of the Spring Meadow golf course.
- A parking area at the trail's crossing on Hospital road.
- A parking area at the Allenwood pavilion & General store where the trail crosses allenwood-Lakewood road.
- A parking area at Orchard Park on Brielle Ave where the trail enters the park.
- A parking area on Bailey's Corner road just south of Ocean Ave.
- A parking area east of the Wall township municipal complex where the trail crosses Alliare road.
History
The trail is named after Edgar Felix, a cycling enthusiast and retired radio researcher.His lobbying led the town of Manasquan to obtain the eastern property rights to the abandoned Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad
Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad
The Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad was a short-line railroad in New Jersey. Its former right-of-way, along with a portion of the Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad's right-of-way, has become the Edgar Felix Bikeway and the Freehold right-of-way has become the Henry Hudson Trail...
in
1966. The following year the path was extended through the Allenwood
Allenwood
Allenwood is a small Irish village in County Kildare situated on the Grand Canal. Allenwood is located about from Dublin and half way between Rathangan and Clane in North County Kildare....
section of Wall Township, terminating at Hospital Road in Wall Township.
In 2004/2005, the trail was extended west from Hospital Road across state park
land to the public access area of Allaire State Park
Allaire State Park
Allaire State Park is a park located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, near the town of Farmingdale, operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. The park is known for its restored 19th century...
and north along the abandoned Route 18 right-of-way to the Wall Township Municipal Complex.
Future
As of September 2011, Wall Township was seeking a $180,000 matching grantMatching funds
Matching funds, a term used to describe the requirement or condition that a generally minimal amount of money or services-in-kind originate from the beneficiaries of financial amounts, usually for a purpose of charitable or public good.-Charitable causes:...
from Monmouth County to add a spur trail that would extend the Edgar Felix trail 8/10ths of a mile along Hospital road to meet with the Allaire mountain biking trails. This new spur would begin where the current trail crosses Hospital road on its way to the main entrance of Allaire State Park. There is also a proposal to continue this new spur to the Howell Township border at a future date..
The unimproved right-of-way for the Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad continues west through Allaire State Park until it is severed by interstate 195
Interstate 195 (New Jersey)
Interstate 195 is an auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its western end is at I-295 and Route 29 just south of Trenton, New Jersey in Hamilton Township, Mercer County while its eastern end is at the Garden State Parkway, Route 34 and Route...
.
External links
- Web page dedicated to the Edgar Felix Trail - includes many maps, and directions to parking, trail heads, etc.
- BobLucky page - lots of trail photos