Vacant, Wooded Land Preserved Along Raritan River In Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Somerset County is expanding the County’s Raritan River Greenway with its recent purchase.

Somerset County negotiated the acquisition of an additional 0.23 acres of vacant, wooded land along the Raritan River in Bridgewater Township for $7,500. With fees, the total should be around $10,000, according to the County.

The Raritan River Greenway is a linear park that runs the length of the Raritan River at the convergence of the North and South Branches to the Middlesex County boundary through several Somerset County municipalities, including Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Somerville, Raritan, Manville, Bound Brook, and South Bound Brook.

Major benefits of greenway expansion and preservation include protecting environmentally sensitive areas, providing areas for recreational development, preserving local character, and saving tax dollars by controlling development.

Most importantly, greenway expansion and preservation helps to prevent the development of sensitive areas, allowing nature to provide both flood plain and aquifer recharge protection.

The Raritan River Greenway includes Duke Island Park’s 351 acres for a total of 842 acres. In the last 10 years, more than 22 acres have been acquired through the County’s robust Open Space Preservation program.

Greenways are an essential feature of the future open space network envisioned for Somerset County and are the elements that will ultimately tie together the County’s diverse, award-winning Park System.

To date, approximately 20 additional acres within the same geographical location are under consideration for acquisition.

— Somerset County