The city of Trenton is a riverfront city that runs for 5.5 miles along the Delaware River. Of those 5.5 miles, the majority of the riverfront is inaccessible to the city’s 90,000 residents. The major barrier to the river is NJ Route 29, which runs along the City’s riverfront and restricts public access from the city. This road was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s as a limited access, high-speed highway despite the opposition of residents, eliminating a major riverfront park. A federally funded urban renewal project demolished a diverse and mixed-use neighborhood, and the construction of NJ Route 29 cut off the City from its greatest natural resource, the Delaware River. The combination of the highway construction and failed urban renewal program contributed towards long-term population decline and poverty in Trenton and had a major impact on the economic vitality of underserved populations. For several decades community members have expressed and documented within plans the desire to reconnect to the river, reestablish a riverfront community and park, and convert NJ Route 29 to an urban boulevard. 

In 2009, NJDOT completed a feasibility assessment which identified a preferred alternative for the realignment of NJ29 into an urban boulevard, by bringing the highway inland and at grade, lowering the speed limit, installing traffic signals, providing well-marked crosswalks, and connecting side streets.  

 Several attempts to build on the 2009 feasibility assessment sputtered. However, in 2023 Mercer County received federal funding to undertake a Local Concept Development Study, which will update the 2009 feasibility assessment, reevaluate alternatives to the present highway under current regulatory and environmental requirements, and identify a path forward into design and construction for a new locally preferred alternative, for the portion of NJ29 bounded by Cass Street on the south, and the interchange with Calhoun Street, extending just north of the Calhoun Street Bridge. The new Local Concept Development study now underway will include an economic analysis, including a market analysis, assessment of development strategies, and fiscal and economic impact analyses, which will seek to quantify the direct fiscal/tax and broader economic impacts of the proposed project for Trenton and the surrounding area.  

Questions: 

• How can the the project partners effectively communicate the varied impacts and benefits of this work to all stakeholders? 

• How can multiple agencies work together to incentivize developers to build / redevelop within the study area, with a focus on the state-owned surface parking lots? 

• How can the design of the street level & river’s edge be functional as a park amenity given the requirements to meet flood resiliency standards? 

• What strategies and investments can be put in place to improve quality of life for residents, and bolster local businesses to thrive?  

• Over what timeframe and order of steps should the project partners take to achieve their long-term vision and development goals for the study area?    

Additional Resources:

• Plan views of study area (historical aerial imagery, additional plan view of redesign concept)
• Mercer County project web site including archive of related work and considerable project documentation

Professional experience needed:

• Real estate development/finance
• Parks, waterfront and open space design/development
• Public/private partnerships
• Multi-modal transportation planning
• Zoning
• Urban planning/design
• Placemaking
• Community engagement & economic development
• Public policy and/or public finance
• Climate adaptation

Panelist Expectations 

• Be available for two full days on Thursday, October 9 & Friday, October 10. 
• Review extensive briefing materials provided by sponsor. 
• Join conference calls in advance of TAP for sponsor and logistic briefings. 
• Actively participate in stakeholder interviews, recommendation generation, and findings presentation. 
• Current ULI Member at the time of the TAP. 
• Adherence to ULI Conflict of Interest policy and Code of Ethics. 

Important Dates 

Panelist Application Deadline | September 8, 2025 

TAP Dates | October 9 – 10, 2025