Reimagining Route 29
Before Rt 29
For hundreds of years, Trenton was a city defined by and connected to the Delaware River waterfront. The first half of the 20th century showcased expansive waterfront parks framed by grand government buildings and interconnected to diverse neighborhoods.
After Rt 29
The second half of the last century brought “urban renewal” and auto-centric design. Route 29, a high-speed freeway, separated the community from its river, prioritized commuters over residents, destroyed neighborhoods, and left a sea of surface parking lots and single-use office buildings in its wake.
Reconnecting Trenton to its Riverfront:
The ultimate goal is to reconnect Trenton and the state capital to the Delaware River. Converting the Route 29 freeway into a boulevard will rectify inequities created while providing active multi-mobility options, economic development, river access, and future growth opportunities in the Capital City.
Capital City Redevelopment Plan
The boulevard would slow traffic to make it:
- safer for bikers and pedestrians
- reconnect the city street network to the boulevard, making it easier for everyone to get to the river and to other neighborhoods
- reclaim the lost waterfront into an expansive park system
- use the recovered land on the city-side of the boulevard for mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood development.
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the Route 29 Boulevard project
Upcoming News and Events:
Route 29 Focus Group, The Orchid House February 2024
Date: November 14, 2024
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Location: Mercer County Community College, James Kerney Campus
102 N. Broad Street, Trenton, NJ 08608
Calling All Trenton Residents! We’re hosting a community workshop on the Route 29 Concept Development Study, and we want you to be part of it! This study is essential for understanding how our riverfront access will be affected, and your input is crucial. Your voice matters! Let’s work together to protect our riverfront!
RSVP here.
Information on the Connecting Communities Program:
Community Connectors Kickoff, Atlanta, GA November 2023
To make the boulevard a reality, it will require a long-term grassroots and grasstops campaign, with enough resources and capacity to build support for the project and keep it a priority. Our organization, based in downtown Trenton, was one of 15 projects selected to receive a Community Connectors grant from Smart Growth America. The program seeks to advance locally driven projects that will reconnect communities separated or harmed by transportation infrastructure and tap available federal and state funds to support them.
If you wish to learn more about Smart Growth America’s work on this issue, we recommend their report Divided by Design. It examines the racist roots of our current transportation system and reveals that flawed thinking continues to haunt policies and practices.
National Momentum on Highway Removal Projects:
Want to learn more about other national highway removal projects? Join the Freeway Fighters Network. The Freeway Fighters Network is a coalition of community advocates united by the belief in accessible, safe, sustainable, and healthy communities for all. Check out the different projects around the nation by clicking on their interactive map.
