Mercer County study evaluates way to reconnect Trenton with the Delaware River

Mercer County, N.J., officials are assessing the feasibility of converting a section of Route 29 in Trenton from a freeway into an urban boulevard that supporters say will promote economic development and create green spaces. 

Route 29 has had limited public access to the riverfront in Trenton since the 1950s. Mercer County’s Local Concept Development Study is evaluating two projects that would change the riverfront from a car-centered environment to a district that would welcome cyclists and pedestrians, in addition to motorists. 

“When the U.S. shifted to an autocentric lifestyle, Route 29 was built and it disconnected neighborhoods, destroyed paths for pedestrian and cycling traffic and cut off access to a valuable natural community space,” said Sabrina Rodriguez, campaign manager for New Jersey Future’s Reconnecting Trenton’s Riverfront initiative.

New Jersey Future, a nonprofit organization that supports equitable, sustainable redevelopment and infrastructure through research, policy, and coalition-building, is one of the community supporters of the initiative to reconnect Trenton with its riverfront. Other community proponents include the Trenton Downtown Association, Trenton NAACP and NJ Conservation Foundation.

 The boulevard would still be a vehicular route, but it would have pedestrian crossings, accommodate cyclists and have a lower speed limit. The boulevard would accommodate cars and bikes, though not always in the same lane. Plans include wider right lanes within Trenton’s downtown area and specific bike lanes outside of the downtown area to accommodate cyclists.

The proposal would cover a 1.8 mile-stretch along the southern section of Route 29 and would feature two traffic lanes in each direction, parking lanes, a center turn lane, signalized intersections, sidewalks, and streetscape and landscaping features. 

The project would “enhance mobility options for bikers and pedestrians that cannot currently cross to the riverfront safely,” Rodriguez said. “It would reconnect neighborhoods and boost the local economy by drawing people to Trenton.”

The two designs for the project that are under consideration each feature riverfront parks for community recreation and would open up nearby land for development, creating opportunities for businesses, housing and entertainment venues near the riverfront.

The first design largely maintains Route 29’s current location, making a minor shift east to accommodate a new riverfront park. Some land from nearby parking lots within the state capital complex would be repurposed for housing, retail and business development.

The second design would move the boulevard farther inland, across the land now occupied by the state capitol complex parking, creating space for a larger riverfront park.

In the current phase of the study, Mercer County is mapping the project area as well as gathering traffic, marketing and development data.

Interest in reconnecting the Trenton community with its riverfront is not new.

The current efforts build on previous studies by the New Jersey Department of Transportation in 2005 and 2009, which developed concepts for the two designs now being assessed.

Mercer County is reassessing those initial findings in light of modern engineering, environmental considerations and resilience planning. The evaluation will determine if one of the two alternatives developed by the NJDOT can advance to the preliminary engineering phase as planned, if refinements or alternative concepts are needed, or if a “no-build” option is the most suitable outcome, which would lead to the project’s termination.

Mercer County began its study in September 2024, and expects it to be completed in February 2026. At that point, it will decide on the most feasible design.

“Mercer County is supposed to be wrapping up the study in spring of next year,” Rodriguez said. “That’s when we’d move into the phase that is in the hands of the NJDOT.”

Although Mercer County is overseeing the study, Route 29 is a state road, so NJDOT will have the final say on whether the project proceeds.

Route 29. which is nearly 35 miles long, run from Hamilton Township in Mercer County to Frenchtown in Hunterdon County.