Middle Township Embarks on Completion of Bike Path

COURT HOUSE — By Thanksgiving, cyclists and pedestrians will be able to seamlessly travel the 7.5 miles between the Cape May County Zoo and Satt Boulevard in Rio Grande, as construction is set to begin on the final phase of Middle Township’s Bike Path.
During Monday’s Township Committee meeting, contracts were awarded to Kline Construction Company, who will perform the bike path work between Main Street in Whitesboro and Satt Boulevard.
Work on the Middle-Lower Connector phase of the bike path will also begin shortly. This junction will continue from Satt Boulevard and connect with the Lower Township and DRBA bike path, ultimately providing an uninterrupted link from the County Zoo to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. The design of this junction is currently being finalized.
“Middle Township has blazed the Bike Path trail in Cape May County,” said Mayor Tim Donohue. “We are proud to have created what will likely become the spine of a comprehensive, regional bike path that will serve as an invaluable amenity for so many. Now that we are near completion of the southern portion of the bike path, we will look forward to extending northward.”
On Thurs., Middle Township Administrator Connie Mahon and Grants Coordinator Anne Garrison attended a Regional Bicycle Path Planning Workshop hosted by the Cape May County Planning Department. Approximately 16 municipalities were in attendance to discuss partnering on potential routes that would result in a county-wide network of connecting bike paths.
“We are very excited that Cape May County has identified the development of a regional bike path as a priority,” said Mahon. “In addition to providing recreational opportunities, bike paths are a wonderful way to boost ecotourism in an environmentally friendly way.”
Middle Township’s Bike Path project has received a total of $1.75 million in combined grant funding through the Cape May County Open Space Program and the NJ Department of Transportation.