By Joseph Sapia
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – The portion of the Henry Hudson Trail in Atlantic Highlands that was destroyed by 2012’s Super Storm Sandy storm surge should be fully reconstructed with a more sustainable design by the end of the year.
Since the storm, the scenic 1-¼ mile walking, bicycling, and equestrian trail from Popamora Point at the Atlantic Highlands/Highlands border to Atlantic Highlands marina has remained open, but in what the park system describes as the “primitive condition” of compacted soil.
The 14-foot high storm surge had eroded the toe of the bluff making passage difficult or even hazardous in some conditions. It washed away trail surfacing and decimated the wooden boardwalks, said Joseph Sardonia, supervising landscape architect for the Monmouth County Park System. “It was like toothpicks,” Sardonia said. “It was amazing.”
The project is estimated to cost about $900,000 to $1 million. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse the Park System 80 percent of the cost, and the county and borough will split the remaining 20 percent, according to the Park System.
The improvements to help the trail survive occasional flooding and storm surges include: diverting runoff to Sandy Hook Bay under the trail to protect against erosion, resurfacing the trail using both pavement and stone dust and rebuilding the walkway with prefabricated concrete, Sardonia said.
The Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners hopes to award a contract to successful bidders in July, see work start after Labor Day and complete the project by the end of 2016.
Trails will be closed to visitors during renovations, according to the Park System.
Leo Cervantes, 46, who lives in Highlands and walks the affected part of the trail once or twice a week if he has time, looks forward to improving the trail.
“I guess, if they do it the right way, it’ll last longer,” said Cervantes, who owns Chilangos Restaurant in Highlands.
Catalina Giraldo, 30, of Highlands was walking the trail on a recent day with Cervantes and Julian Gaviria, 26, who was visiting from Colombia. Giraldo called the county project “positive.”
It was Gaviria’s first time on the trail.
“We woke up this morning, ‘Come on, Julian,’ because Cati and I walk it,” Cervantes said.
The Henry Hudson Trail, which follows a combination of roads and unused railroad right-of-ways, travels from Sandy Hook to Freehold for about 28 miles.
From Sandy Hook to Aberdeen, the trail also is known as the Bayshore Trail.
The county hopes to extend the trail another 7-1/2 miles to Farmingdale. From Farmingdale, it could connect with the Edgar E. Felix Trail to Manasquan.
