Barnegat Branch Trail

Barnegat Branch Trail in Ocean County, New Jersey, occupies a 15.6-mile abandoned rail corridor from Barnegat Township to Toms River along the former Barnegat Branch Division roadbed of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The trail preserves a visible link to the county’s railroad history after the line’s operator went bankrupt, was absorbed into Conrail in 1976, and ended freight service on the branch the next year. Repurposed from industrial transportation to recreation, the corridor has also been contested, especially along a 1.9-mile section where a proposed Route 9 bypass led to legal disputes and a ruling allowing Lacey Township to use that portion for a roadway.

Waretown, New Jersey · United States