Washington Twp. Mayor, Morris County Hashing Out Trail Issues

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Columbia Trail in Morris and Hunterdon counties is a favorite recreation destination, and Washington Township is working with county officials to preempt parking and other issues.

Mayor Matt Murello of Washington Township, Morris County responded to community questions about the Columbia Trail parking lots and said he has requested a meeting with Morris County officials about the project.

Murello thanked Dave Helmer, Executive Director at Morris County Park Commission, "for taking the time to have a very productive meeting yesterday with me regarding the trailhead improvements at Columbia Trail and Schooley's Mountain Road."

Murello published updates on social media about what happened in the meeting. He said starting next week the concrete barriers on the west side of the road will be removed, except for in an area that separates the County parking from the residential parking on the west side of the road.

The new Columbia Trail sign on the east side will remain and the sign on the west side of the road will be re-located to the south side of the parking lot, across from the crosswalk, the Mayor's notice explained.

"We will be working with the County to replace the barriers in the east side parking area with something more aesthetic, like natural stones.

Murella explained that the parking area will be separated from the trail in that area "for safety reasons." He added, "People should also know that the natural gas piping under the trail does not allow for any posts to be put into the ground parallel to the trail. While we did discuss fencing as an option for this area, a fence (is) not possible."

The Mayor said barriers in the rear area of the eastern parking lot will be removed now that a fence has been installed, so traffic cannot drive through to Fairview. Murella also said more parking will be added along the trail at the lot on Fairview, and added "hopefully this season."

The Columbia Trail is a 16.5-mile trail extending to Morris and Hunterdon counties. The Morris County section of the trail is 8.2 miles and runs through Washington Township to the border of Hunterdon County and the 8-mile Hunterdon County section ends in High Bridge, according to the Morris County Park Commission. The trail is for hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

Find more information about Columbia Trail in Morris County here.

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