Assunpink Daylighting
The Assunpink Creek Daylighting Park project in downtown Trenton transforms a blighted area into a green space that addresses flooding and rehabilitates the aquatic ecosystem. In hopes of enabling development, the City of Trenton piped the creek underground in the 1970s. Despite these engineering efforts, the creek continued to flood, rendering the area undevelopable. The City and US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) determined it was in the City’s best interest to abandon development plans and instead to rehabilitate the stream and create an open space. Regrettably, initial cost estimates exceeded ACOE’s $10M budget, effectively ending the project. This two-acre parcel sat fenced and forgotten for nearly 20 years before CCI revived the project by refocusing partner efforts and identifying resources. When CCI expanded to Trenton in 2015, then Mayor Jackson identified this as a key project. CCI took ownership of the Assunpink Daylighting project and helped identify and secure $3.2M in gap funding from NJDEP Office of Natural Resource Restoration through NJDEP Water Resources Program to rekindle the project.
Park and stream restoration began in 2018. Following funding hurdles and COVID-19-related delays, the ribbon cutting is planned for early 2021. This park will serve as a downtown attraction and dramatically increase the quality of life for residents.
To watch a time-lapse of construction, click here.
Official Site of The State of New Jersey
