Pallone Announces $810,000 for Sandy Hook Path

January 15, 2010

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) announced Thursday that the Department of Transportation awarded $810,000 for the purposes of extending the existing Sandy Hook Multi-Use Pathway system from North Beach to Gunnison Beach and Fort Hancock. This figure includes the $475,000 Pallone secured in the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which was approved by the president March 11, 2009.

“This pathway extension will allow park visitors to have access to new areas of Sandy Hook Park which is one of New Jersey’s most beautiful parks,” said Pallone. “Since the trail opened it has been widely popular and it’s my hope that extending the path will allow even more people to enjoy it.”

Previous improvements to the Sandy Hook MUP include a 2.1-mile loop in the northern part of the park, and design improvements at two locations along the Phase 1 portion of the trail that were eliminated due to earlier funding shortfalls. Pedestrians, in-line skaters, and people on any kind of non-motorized vehicle may use the five-mile path which is a safer alternative to using roads within the park.

Earlier this decade, the New Jersey congressman secured the $1.8 million dollars in federal funding used to complete phase one of construction, which opened for public use in October of 2004.