Johnson Trolley Trail

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Phase: Feasibility/ Concept Development

Purpose and Need: The Johnson Trolley Trail is an existing “Circuit Trail” with multiple segments currently listed as existing, in progress, and planned. This project will identify an alignment to connect and extend these segments to create a bicycle and pedestrian corridor originating in the City of Trenton, passing through Ewing and Lawrence Townships, to the Municipality of Princeton in Mercer County, New Jersey. This project would allow for safer off-road connections between residential, commercial and retail areas of Mercer County and connect numerous employment and educational institutions that would allow employees and students the ability to travel without requiring motorized transportation. It would also connect disadvantaged communities to more employment centers, build in resiliency to our transportation network and could offer new economic development opportunities.

Description: The abandoned Johnson Trolley Line formerly connected Trenton to Princeton and carried passengers into the 1930s and rail freight from Trenton to Lawrenceville until severed by the construction of I-295 in the early 1970s. Corridor development requires a proposed pedestrian-bicycle bridge over I-295, improvement of existing rights of way on the historic Johnson Trolley Line, and identifying a preferred alignment for new trail construction where the trolley right of way has been privately developed.

All four municipalities included in the study area (City of Trenton, Ewing and Lawrence Townships, and the Municipality of Princeton) are projected by DVRPC to experience positive population growth by 2050. However, in the same period, DVRPC projections show much faster employment growth relative to the population in the Municipality of Princeton (76%) and Lawrence Township (81%) than in the City of Trenton (66%) and Ewing Township (50%).

This proposed Johnson Trolley Line Multi-Use Corridor project would create an important missing link and act as a spine linking other existing multimodal connectors. This spine would connect disadvantaged communities to additional employment opportunities, educational institutions, and local open space and parks, without requiring motor vehicles. Educational institutions within a mile of the proposed alignment include Princeton University, Princeton Theological Seminary, the Institute for Advanced Study, Rider University, The College of New Jersey, Lawrenceville School, Notre Dame High School, Hun School, Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science, as well as numerous elementary, intermediate, middle, and high schools.

The two largest private employers in Mercer County are Princeton University and Bristol Myers Squibb. Recent and planned improvements in the Municipality of Princeton increase pedestrian and bicycle access to the University, while the two major Bristol Myers Squibb campuses connect directly to the existing off-road Lawrence Hopewell Trail (Circuit Trail). The proposed Johnson Trolley Trail corridor links these elements, opening access and opportunities for underserved populations in the study area.

Background: The Johnson Trolley Trail is a trail that runs along the old right-of-way line of the former Trolley Rail Line. In the early half of the 20th century, the Trenton-Princeton Traction Company ran a trolley, known as the "Fast Line," through this corridor. At the time a fare cost approximately 10¢ and a one-way trip between Princeton and Trenton took roughly 35 minutes, passing through vast farmland and what is now Olden Ave, Spruce Street, Eggerts Crossing Road, I-295, Lawrenceville Village, and the Municipality of Princeton.

The Johnson Trolley began operating in 1902 and in its peak year of 1921 carried 1.6 million fares. The Johnson Trolley Line was purchased in 1929 by the Reading Railroad, which ran local freight service until 1973, when the new interstate cut off access to the line. During WW2, passenger service was stopped and never returned. The Johnson Trolley Line Trail currently occupies only a portion of old right-of-way abandoned by the former trolley company.

For more information on the former Trolley Line, please visit our partners:

GMTMA: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f0305d85f5db4d2fbdc53f0ea8b45631

Lawrence Hopewell Trail: https://lhtrail.org/lht-history/lht-historic-site-johnson-trolley-line/

Circuit Trails: https://circuittrails.org/find-trails/johnson-trolley-line/

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: https://www.traillink.com/trail/johnson-trolley-line-trail/

Proposal: In 2023 Mercer County successfully applied for and received a $175,000 grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to undertake a feasibility and concept development study for the alignment. The project will be funded via DVRPC’s Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) program.

With our partners, the goal of this effort is to create a long distance “trunk line” from which additional trails, footpaths, sidepaths, bicycle lanes and sidewalks will ultimately be able to connect into. Additionally, another goal of the project is to link areas of high economic distress with areas of increasing economic opportunity and to connect high density residential, commercial and institutional areas with preserved open space, parkland, and existing Circuit Trails.

Opportunities for on-road bicycle and pedestrian facilities are limited by narrow cartways and limited right of way, with high levels of traffic stress (LTS) for cyclists on roughly parallel US 1, US 206, and Princeton Pike. Compared to the D&R Canal Towpath, the Johnson Trolley Line more directly connects to residential, commercial, and industrial development in the suburbs, to educational institutions, and to active recreation open space. The intent of the trail is to facilitate the creation of a larger trail network that is safer, more direct, and more pleasant to use.

As the network develops, local businesses may be able to capitalize on the new trail network. A new trail user market may allow for new business opportunities catering to needs of trail users and the local economy may be able to capitalize on special events that could be organized along various routes.

The Johnson Trolley Trail can be broken into 5 segments; 2 existing segments and 3 proposed segments. The two existing segments run along the former Johnson Tolley rail right-of-way and are located in Ewing and Lawrence Township. Sometimes referred to as Johnson Trolley Trail North and Johnson Trolley Trail South, they are currently disconnected by I-295.

The existing northern segment is an unpaved trail north of I-295 that goes through Lawrenceville.
The existing southern segment is a mix of paved shared-use paths and unpaved trails. The southern portion is located in Lawrence Township and Ewing Township.
The first proposed segment will connect the existing northern segment to the existing southern segment via a potential bridge over I-295.
The proposed northern segment will connect to the Municipality of Princeton through Lawrence Township.
The proposed southern segment will connect to the City of Trenton through Ewing Township.

Anticipated Project Schedule: Feasibility/ Concept Development Phase to be completed Spring 2025. First Public Information Center scheduled for June 12, 2024. Additional public information center will be scheduled for Winter 2024.

Information: For further information, please contact:

Matthew Zochowski, PP/AICP, Principal Planner, Mercer County

mzochowski@mercercounty.org