May is Bike Month!!

Thursday, May 9th is Bike to school day.

April 13th-17th is Bike to work week.

Enjoy these days by getting out on the trail for some fresh air!  Don’t forget to take some pictures and send them to us.  We would love to share them.

Wednesday, April 24th from 11:30-1:30pm ~ Bristol-Myers Squibb will celebrate Earth Day at their Hopewell Facility.

Thursday, April 25th from 11:30-1:30pm ~ Bristol-Myers Squibb will celebrate Earth Day at their Lawrenceville Facility.

Sunday, May 5th from 12-5pm ~ Lawrence Jubilee on Main Street.

Saturday, May 11th from 9am-1pm ~ St Lawrence Rehab Bicycle Safety Rodeo @ their facility parking lot.

Saturday, May 18th from 10am-4pm ~ Pennington Day on Main Street.

It is also worth noting, that the LHT has been asked to participate in one of the panel discussions, titled: Building Community Support for Trails.

Our co-president and founder Becky Taylor will be on the panel, and our project manager, Michael Gray will be the moderator.

Details have not been finalized yet, but please register now if you can attend.

It is a great organization, well worth supporting.

We hope to see you there.

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The beautiful, brand new  bridge, which had been closed to bicycles for 4 months and to vehicular  traffic for much longer than that, opened this spring, complete with shoulders wide enough for bikes and cars to pass in both directions.

In coming months, the county will also begin trail construction on phase III of the Mercer Meadows Trail system. This means that trail users between Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Hopewell Campus and the Old Mill Bridge will be able to use the crossing at Rocky-Hill Pennington Road and be entirely off-road from the crossing to the just before the bridge.

We will provide further updates once construction starts.

Hogmanay is an old Scottish traditional way of greeting the new year.  Celebrants are encouraged to write down any bad things that happened in the old year and throw them on the fire pile before it is ignited.  The festive blaze generally lasts about an hour, leaving time for people to attend other events later in the evening.

Even if you drive the the celebration, you can still take the LHT. The Princeton Pike Corporate Center will be open for parking for the event this year, to help the  THE LAWRENCE HISTORICAL SOCIETY celebrate their 15th  annual Hogmanay bonfire on New Year’s Eve.

For the first time this year, guests will park in the Princeton Pike Corporate Center parking lot, which they will enter at the traffic light at Lenox Drive, 100 yards south of Meadow Road.  From the parking lot, they may walk a lighted portion of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail ¼ mile to the bonfire site or ride in the free shuttle-bus.   Firemasters Joe Logan and Tom Ledwith will light the fire at 6 PM in the Great Meadow  next to the 1761 Brearley House.

This hugely popular free event features free hot cocoa, cider, donut holes and bagpipe music.  The historical society gratefully thanks  Stark & Stark Law Firm, Princeton Pike Corporate Center, Terhune Orchards and individual donors for their generous support.

Further details and directions are available at the Society’s website:  www.thelhs.org

• The crossing at Princeton Pike Corporate Center from the Brearley Oak and Lenox Drive  takes riders to a new scenic and rolling section of trail along Lewisville Road.  Construction for the Lawrenceville School connector is underway and should be complete later this spring. This means trail users are completely off of Lewisville Road.

• Mercer Meadows County Park will complete the trail extension from Old Mill Bridge to Rocky Hill-Pennington Road.

• The connection from the Twin Pines Athletic fields to Mercer Meadows and the LHT is open, including a boardwalk section. This beautiful connector opens up the trail to those living west of Federal City Road.

• Construction of a connection from Bristol-Myers Squibb Hopewell to the bridge near King George St. in Pennington starts this spring. Great news for Pennington Borough!

• The crossing of Princeton Pike from Foxcroft to the new Dyson Tract Park trail on Princeton Pike is complete .
• The trail is about 80% complete and accessible now.

Go check out this gorgeous area before the leaves fall.

Though this is not officially part of the LHT at present, we envision incorporating it into our trail connection and link to the ETS campus. For those driving and walking in the area, parking is limited on both the Pretty Brook side as well as on road at Province Line, but a few places are available where you won’t interfere with the neighbors. Alternatively you could park at ETS and  follow one of two trails out to Province Line Road, or follow the power line clearing from the ETS Campus. This will also be a true destination spot on the trail.

Old Mill Road Bridge – construction is proceeding on this bridge and it appears it will be the end of the year, as predicted before this segment is re-opened. Remember the entire bridge deck, support and span was removed, This is a big job.

• Trails are cleared and mowed through most of the  Phase 3 areas. Construction should begin this month.
• Half of the Twin Pines connector is complete
• Area around the dam on Rosedale will likely be the last section done as it is difficult for larger equipment to get in.
• The two barns, at Hunt House and Keefe road, contracts awarded for rehabbing those buildings.
• Directional and interpretive signage installation is underway., Benches, bike racks, solar-powered lavatories and other amenities to follow.
• New, innovative, “barrier-free” playground to be installed at Rosedale, equipment has already been delivered
• Dog Park at Rosedale to follow after playground.
• Companion Maidenhead trail construction underway

October 6 — a joint venture with the West Windsor Bike Pedestrian Alliance. They will be leaving Turning Basin (Alexander Road and D&R Canal) at 2:30 p.m. and heading down the tow path to the Brearley House. Arrival expected around 3. We will give a brief update on the trail construction before they head back or the more intrepid can go further along the LHT or the D&R Canal. Or ride in in reverse and start at the Brearley House and join them for the return trip.

October 7 – Lawrence Community Day – 12:30 – 4 pm in Village Park. We will be there along with hundreds of our neighbors. Come out and say , “Hello.”

October 13 – Hopewell Harvest Fair, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., behind Hopewell Elementary School. Always a fun day, with great food and exhibits.

Stop by The Lawrence Hopewell Trail tent and learn about our progress or pick up a new trail map.

Come and tell us how you use the trail.