Since the concept for the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway first appeared in the Regional Plan Association's 1966 study, "The Lower Hudson", it has developed into a major attraction for pedestrians and bicyclists. The Walkway plan envisions a contiguous 18.5 mile long public waterfront corridor traversing nine municipalities in two counties from the George Washington Bridge to the Bayonne Bridge.

Historically, public access to the waterfront in this urban area was precluded by industrial use of the land. As existing land uses change, this "pathway for the people" is reestablishing the public's right of access to and full enjoyment of the tidally flowed and formerly flowed filled waterways. Through coastal regulation, the Department is effectuating the historic principles of the public trust doctrine that originated in Roman times and dates to the early nineteenth century in our State's jurisprudence. The coastal regulations judiciously balance the interests for development of an economically thriving 21st century waterfront with the public's right to outdoor recreation along tidal waters. The walkway integrates historic neighborhoods with new offices, housing and commercial development, all with views of universally recognized landmarks: the Statue of Liberty, the New York skyline, Ellis Island, and the Hudson River.

Despite more than 20 years of economic, political, and regulatory change, this public access initiative has created over 11 miles of walkway with an additional 5.5 miles along roadways of southern Jersey City and Bayonne. The walkway is a testament to the value of imaginative urban planning that considers the public benefit at large.

Recently, through public-private partnerships established among state and local government, commercial developers, and public interest groups, additional segments of walkway have been and will be constructed. In 2002, NJDEP completed its first walkway project outside of Liberty State Park. The NJ Coastal Zone Management Program constructed the project on land leased for 50 years to the City of Hoboken from Stevens Institute of Technology. The city will maintain the 1100 foot long walkway and associated 125 foot long fishing pier as Castle Point Park. The project was constructed using funds from the Federal Highway Administration Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, NJDOT Discretionary Municipal Aid, the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway Gap Site Appropriation, and NJDEP's Green Acres Program. Design costs were funded in part by the Harbor Cleanup Program.

The Coastal Management Program is coordinating with Stevens Institute to continue the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway for an additional approximately 400 feet south of the Castle Point segment. The new section of walkway, at the proposed site for the Center for Maritime Systems, will link Castle Point Park with Frank Sinatra Park, resulting in a continuous walkway from Union Dry Dock all the way to Hoboken Terminal.

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