Camden County Link Trail, Segments 1A and 3

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3

2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application

DTOS59-21-RA-RAISE FY 2021 National Infrastructure Investments Location: City of Camden and Pennsauken Township, New Jersey Submitted by: Camden County, New Jersey Amount Requested: $25 million

The Honorable Secretary Pete Buttigieg U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

Subject: Camden County LINK Trail Segments 1A and 3 FY 2021 USDOT RAISE Application

Dear Secretary Buttigieg:

On behalf of the Camden County Board of Commissioners and the over half a million residents of Camden County, I am pleased to be able to submit this Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application for Segments 1A and 3 of the Camden County LINK Trail for your review. Since 2017 Camden County has been working steadfastly on turning the concept for a 34-mile trail connecting our urban core with our suburban and rural communities into a reality. Starting with a feasibility study to understand the best route and approaches to dedicating more than four million dollars to the design of priority segments, we have built the momentum, community support and enthusiasm and are poised to build and transform our county.

Camden County seeks RAISE grant funding to complete these two key segments, located in the City of Camden and Pennsauken Township that consist of over 5.5 miles of the LINK. These important sections of the trail will allow safe transportation alternative for residents, commuters, and visitors by navigating along and across the scenic Delaware River connecting to Philadelphia via the Ben Franklin Bridge and bypassing the heavy traffic of Routes 30, 130, and 676.

This application meets all of USDOT’s RAISE grant program criteria. Camden’s median household income is less than $30,000 a year, and 36% of the population lives in poverty. Most of this project is located within Areas of Persistent Poverty and will allow for improvements to the quality of life and economic advantages for city residents by supporting and driving development and employment opportunities and leveraging other investments that state, county, and city governments are making into open space and parks, business districts, transit, and the street network. The quantifiable benefits of this project, per the Benefit Cost Analysis, will be at least 10 times the cost of the project.

By reducing emissions through active transportation commutes, incorporating green stormwater infrastructure reducing the burden on the city’s combined sewer system, and connecting residents to a series of urban parks and renewed open space, the trail will be an environmentally sustainable and climate resilient infrastructure investment. The opportunities for residents to commute safely without the need of costly motorized transportation, to easily recreate and travel to many parks and playgrounds and to stimulate the economy by opening and supporting business along the Camden County LINK Trail will transform Camden City and County for generations to come.

Thank you in advance for your careful consideration of this valuable project. Once again, we express our strong support for the Camden County application for the RAISE grant. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at [email protected] or 856-225-5466.

Jeffrey L. Nash

County Commissioner

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover Letter ...... i I. Project Description ...... 1 Project History ...... 4 Transportation Challenges Project Will Address ...... 6 Other Transportation Infrastructure Investments ...... 7 II. Project Location ...... 9 III. Grant Funds, Sources and Uses of all Project Funding ...... 11 Prior Costs ...... 11 Project Costs ...... 11 Funding Commitments ...... 12 IV. Selection Criteria ...... 13 Safety ...... 13 Environmental Sustainability ...... 15 Quality of Life ...... 18 Economic Competitiveness ...... 19 State of Good Repair ...... 19 Partnership (Secondary Criteria) ...... 20 Innovation (Secondary Criteria) ...... 21 V. Environmental Risk Review ...... 22 Project Schedule ...... 22 Required Approvals ...... 22 Assessment of Project Risks and Mitigation Strategies ...... 26 VI. Benefit Cost Analysis ...... 28

APPENDIX (available at www.CamdenCounty.com/RAISE Password: CityInvincible)

Appendix A: Original County Resolution (passed June 17, 2021) Appendix B: Revised County Resolution (posted here after approval on July 22, 2021) Appendix C: Other Funding Letter of Commitment (TA Set-Aside) Appendix D: Letters of Support Appendix E: Segment 1A and 3 Detailed Construction Cost Estimates Appendix F: Segment 1A In-Progress Preliminary Design Plans Appendix G: Segment 3 Concept Design Plans Appendix H: Segment 1A and 3 Detailed Project Schedules Appendix I: Equity Analysis Appendix J: Benefit Cost Analysis Appendix J1: BCA Spreadsheet for Entire Project Appendix J2: BCA Spreadsheet for Segment 1A Only Appendix J3: BCA Spreadsheet for Segment 3 Only Appendix K: Federal Wage Rate Certification Letter Appendix L: NJDOT Coordination Meeting Minutes Appendix M: Full LINK Map of All Segments I. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Camden County LINK Trail (herein after referred to as “the LINK”) will be a 34-mile active transportation corridor located across the heart of Camden County, New Jersey. This ambitious plan will involve the construction of a paved, 12’ wide, all ages and abilities shared-use (pedestrian, bicycle, and other personal mobility devices) path that will act as the centerpiece of the County’s bicycle and trail network. The LINK will begin at the recently completed Benjamin Franklin Bridge bicycle/pedestrian ramp in the City of Camden, extend through 16 suburban municipalities, and end in the Winslow Wildlife Management Area at the Gloucester County line. The proposed trail, which is intended for both transportation and recreational use, will connect a diverse population to numerous neighborhoods, businesses, employment opportunities, parks and open spaces, and will bisect the urban, suburban, and rural transect of the county. Camden County seeks Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant funding to construct two critical segments of The LINK that are a priority to building both connections for local travel and momentum for the complete trail. These are identified asSegments 1A and 3 of The LINK. These two segments (herein after referred to as “the project”) are located in the City of Camden and Pennsauken Township, and consist of about 3.8 miles of new paved shared-use path and multiple complex structures. The construction of these two segments will address the following: • The project will connect Camden County, New Jersey residents to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania via the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and will also extend the regional Circuit Trail network, offering future connections to suburban Camden County and beyond. • The City of Camden was subject to numerous, large expressway construction projects starting in the 1950’s that bisected neighborhoods and cutoff the city from major recreational and greenway areas, such as Cooper River Park. No municipality in Camden County has been

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 1 more negatively impacted by expressway construction as the City of Camden. The LINK will provide a safe and comfortable active transportation connection between neighborhoods separated from each other by these highways and offer a non-motorized travel alternative for work or school commute trips. • The project will encourage economic development along key areas within the City of Camden and Pennsauken Township. • The LINK will act as the backbone for the City of Camden’s Active Transportation Network. The city is undertaking a planning effort throughout 2021 to refine its vision for an equitable and complete bicycle and pedestrian network through the city, which will weave all neighborhoods together with a low-stress network and ensure that all residents can access and enjoy the LINK. Segment 1A and Segment 3 are two separate portions of the project that are located immediately adjacent to each other. While each segment provides independent utility, this narrative will show that the two segments provide a combined economic, social, and environmental benefit that is greater than the sum of the two individual segments. Segment 1A of the LINK consists of a number of trail sections that will close the gaps in the existing Gateway and Cooper River Park system, specifically: • A 12’ wide, 230’ long dual span bridge over the Cooper River alongside Route 30 • A 1,350’ long esplanade along the edge of the Cooper River that will offer trail users views of the tidal river and both downtown Camden and Philadelphia skylines (right): • Enhanced crosswalks at Baird Boulevard and Kaighn Avenue, highlighted with overhead Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) warning systems • A 12’ wide, 70’ long bridge over Chandler’s Run

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 2 While the length of improvements that Segment 1A will bring are relatively short (1.0 miles), there are a number of complex structures that will be required to safely carry trail users across water bodies and a six lane highway and will close gaps in 1.5 miles of existing trails in Gateway and Cooper River Parks, bringing Segment 1A to a total of 2.5 miles of continuous trail that will be accessible to all ages and abilities, and finally connect to the greater active transportation network. Not included in the RAISE grant-funded portion of Segment 1A is the construction of a 118’ long pedestrian bridge over Crescent Boulevard (Route 130); this portion of Segment 1A was recently funded by a CMAQ grant awarded by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and will now be an independent project. Segment 3 of the LINK will consist of 2.8 miles of new trail, linking Segment 1A to residential North Camden, as well as the riverfront, downtown, and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. In summary, Segment 3 will contain: • A two-span covered bridge to link the existing Delaware River promenade to Cooper’s Poynt Park, as shown in the image to the right. • A retrofit of Pearl Street and Delaware Avenue to install protected sidepaths within the existing street cartways. • A segment of trail east of Mastery Charter High School that will connect to a new wetland park at the mouth of the Cooper River • A bridge over Route 30 at Flanders Boulevard to install a protected sidepath for trail users. • A major trail gateway, which may include Green Stormwater Infrastructure, at the intersection of the LINK with the East Coast Greenway at 10th and State Streets:

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 3 There are 1.1 miles of Segment 3 that have already been built, or that will go to construction starting in the fall of 2021. Combined with the 2.8 miles that the RAISE grant will fund, Segment 3 will be a total length of 3.9 miles of shared-use path. Once the construction of Segments 1A and 3 are complete, it will unlock a total of 6.4 miles of shared-use path and provide a continuous, safe, and intuitive way to travel by foot, bicycle, scooter, or skateboard across the City of Camden. The trail design will be considered All Ages and Abilities, otherwise known as 8-80 Design. Innovative practices to be used on this project include: • New paved surfaces of the trail will be constructed with pervious pavement, and the project will strive to have zero additional stormwater runoff. • The construction of the trail will also contain green stormwater infrastructure installations where possible to manage stormwater runoff from adjacent impervious areas, such as city streets, reducing the burden on Camden’s Combined Sewer Outfall (CSO) system. • There will be very few at-grade trail crossings of roadways, thereby maximizing efficiency and safety of the trail users. Where at-grade crossings are needed, practices like high visibility crosswalks, raised crossings, mountable turning islands and RRFBs will be used. A map of the project limits and the two segments is shown on page 10, and current engineering plans and detailed illustrative layouts are available as appendices on the project website at CamdenCounty.com/RAISE (password: CityInvincible). A drone video of the entire Segment 1A and 3 alignment is also available at the project website.

PROJECT HISTORY The LINK is the culmination of multiple planning efforts that have taken place over the past several years, and will support the momentum of other ongoing projects throughout the Camden area (see Section II. Project Location for more detail). While there were a handful of trail construction projects in Camden County between the 1950’s and 2000, these efforts strictly revolved around the recreational aspect of trails and there was little thought about network connectivity and on-street bicycling. Cooper River Park, the jewel of the County’s park system, is 346 acres, contains five miles of trails, and numerous other recreational and open space assets, but is only accessible to most area residents by car. Gateway Park, constructed in 2000 by the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), replaced blighted commercial structures and cleaned up much of the polluted land along Route 30. The park contains one mile of trail (which is considered a completed portion of Segment 1A), but it too is largely inaccessible to residents without a car. Recent trail planning efforts in Camden County have not only considered the need for buildout of a fully connected network, but include the transportation and utility aspect of trails, in addition to equity and climate change impacts. After several years of separate planning efforts in both the City of Camden and nearby suburbs, Camden County and the Delaware Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) developed the Camden County Bicycling & Multi-Use Trails Plan in 2015. This plan contains 550 miles of trails and bike lanes to be developed across the county into an active transportation network that will connect

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 4 all cities, townships, and boroughs. Concurrently, the Camden Community Partnership (formerly known as the Cooper’s Ferry Partnership) led the effort with the City of Camden to compile the Camden GreenWay Trails Plan, which was to identify a system of trails within the city. With hundreds of miles of active transportation routes identified over two major planning studies, Camden County and the City of Camden needed a place to start the process of building out the network. In 2016, Camden County, along with the Camden Community Partnership, initiated the Cross Camden County Trail Feasibility Study. This study identified the central spine of the entire 550 mile active transportation network, which will connect the major recreational and employment centers in the county with the densest populated areas via an all ages and abilities shared-use trail. The feasibility study’s public outreach involved several formal public meetings as well as “pop-up” meetings at a county park. A combination of online and in-person surveys, as well as an online interactive project map, allowed a wide range of voices to have a say in the location of the Cross Camden County Trail. A diverse collation of stakeholders, representing urban, suburban, and rural residents, helped guide the project to produce a route varied in its landscape as it stretches between the busy Camden riverfront to the solace of the Pinelands. It was vital to the public and stakeholders that the planned route start in the City of Camden at the base of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. While bicycle and pedestrian access had always been available on the bridge to connect to Center City Philadelphia, it was only accessible by way of a tall and narrow staircase on the Camden side. After years of advocacy, the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) completed an ADA accessible ramp to the bridge’s pathway in June 2019. This connection across the Delaware River also acts as a gateway to the rest of the Circuit Trails network, which is the Philadelphia and Camden region’s Bicyclists make their way up the new Ben Franklin Bridge ramp in 2019 (Image courtesy of the Camden Courier- planned 800 mile trail network, which is about 45% complete Post) as of 2021. Upon completion of the Cross Camden County Trail Feasibility Study in 2017, Camden County released an RFP for design services of the trail in 2018, which has now been renamed the Camden County LINK Trail. The County selected an engineering and landscape architecture consulting firm in the spring of 2019 to begin the design and permitting of 20 of the 34 total miles. Since then, Camden County has been awarded over $5.3 million for the construction of various segments of the LINK. The first purpose-built segment of the LINK is due to go to construction in 2022 with Transportation Alternatives funding from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) for Segment 1B in Audubon and Haddon Heights boroughs, and five other segments (including Segments 1A and 3) are currently in the preliminary design phase. Two other segments of the LINK will start the design phase in late 2021. A Camden based non-profit, the Camden Community Partnership (CCP) opened Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park and trail in 2017, which consists of about 0.35 miles of the eventual Segment 3 route. CCP’s design consultants are currently finalizing design and permitting of the North Camden

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 5 Waterfront Park and the River Birch Trail, which will contain 0.5 and 0.25 miles, respectively, of new 12’ wide trail that will also become a part of Segment 3. These two portions of trail are fully funded for construction, with work to commence in the fall of 2021. The City of Camden, through a Local Technical Assistance program with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, is currently refining its vision for an equitable and complete on- and off-street bicycle and pedestrian network through the city, called the Camden Active Transportation Network Vision Plan. The document will be a community-driven plan that will address the lack of a complete bicycle and pedestrian network, first/last mile connections, and creating an equitable way for all Camden residents to connect to work, home, and play. The Community Engagement and Inclusion Plan for this project involves in-person and virtual meetings at events in multiple Camden neighborhoods, and various outreach tactics to obtain feedback from the diverse City of Camden population. The LINK will act as a major corridor of this eventual network. The City of Camden will be the lead facilitator of this plan, with stakeholders including the Camden Community Partnership, DVRPC, and the Trust for Public Land.

TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES PROJECT WILL ADDRESS Up until the mid-twentieth century, the City of Camden was a thriving riverfront city that boasted over 40,000 manufacturing jobs and a population of nearly 125,000 in 1950. However, due to the loss of manufacturing and industrial jobs and federal policies that incentivized suburban living, the population of Camden quickly declined, and has not seen a rebound even to this day; as of 2019, the population of Camden is about 73,000. The expressway building spree of the second half of the century exacerbated these issues in Camden. While the construction of the new I-676 and the connection of US 30 to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge brought about quicker motor vehicle commutes to suburban residents, the heart of the City of Camden was severed to construct a massive interchange with numerous loop ramps to downtown streets to allow for quick ingress and egress. Today, the legacy of this construction creates a difficult way to navigate the city without a car, as the few streets that cross this interchange contain high volumes of high speed traffic. These expressways also make it challenging to access Gateway Park and Cooper River Park, two of the largest open spaces in or around Camden, by bike or foot. It is important to recognize this current state of the built environment and the difficulty in getting around the city, since according to 2015-2019 ACS data, census tracts located along or near the project show that between 22% to 55% of households do not have a vehicle1. The city’s poverty rate of 36% is more than triple the national average (10.5%) and all of Camden The connection of I-676 and US 30 to the Ben County (10.7%). The population of the City of Camden is 41% Franklin Bridge ripped a hole in downtown Camden, Black and 51% Hispanic or Latinx2. It is vital that residents resulting in the loss of over 40 acres of real estate. are given a choice of a safe and reliable active transportation CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 6 Killed or Serious Injury Crashes Crashes by Crash Type (2015-2019), Camden City, NJ (2015-2019), Camden City, NJ

27% Pedestrian 5% network, as a matter of affordability and racial equity. A detailed 2% Equity Analysis can be found in Appendix I at CamdenCounty. Pedestrian com/RAISE (password: CityInvincible). Bicyclist Bicyclist Vehicular/Other The users of the transportation system in the City3% of Camden are Vehicular/Other disproportionally affected by70% automobile crashes. While the City of Camden contains 15% of the entire county’s population, 19% of all crashes in the county in which someone killed or seriously 93% injured (KSI) occurred in the City of Camden. Almost 40% of all crashes in the City of Camden are KSI crashes compared to 32% Killed or Serious Injury Crashes across the rest of the County. Crashes by Crash Type (2015-2019), Camden City, NJ (2015-2019), Camden City, NJ The vulnerable users of the transportation system (those who bike or walk) are most at risk. Over 40% of bicyclist crashes and 27% Pedestrian 5% 35% of pedestrian crashes in the County occurred in the City 2% Pedestrian of Camden. Between 2015-2019, the City of Camden had the Bicyclist highest number of bicycle and pedestrian crashes (606) out of Bicyclist Vehicular/Other any community in Camden County. While people walking and 3% biking in the City of Camden were involved in only seven percent Vehicular/Other 70% of the total crashes reported, they made up a disproportionately large percentage of those killed in crashes (30 percent)3. Camden 93% is the 12th most populous city in New Jersey, but has the third highest number of fatal bicycle and pedestrian crashes out of all Despite being in only 5% of crashes citywide, municipalities in the state. pedestrians account for 27% of killed or serious injured in crashes. The LINK (coupled with the ongoing Camden Active Transportation Network Vision Plan effort) will truly give Camden residents a safe way to access jobs, transit, and recreational opportunities, not only in the city, but in the surrounding suburbs and in Philadelphia. The project will consist of a number of grade-separated structures that will finally allow residents and visitors to safely cross major roadways and the Cooper River by foot or bicycle, it will connect neighborhoods to employment centers, and it will connect a number of recreational assets in the City of Camden. The project will also include some traffic calming elements that will help set the stage for further work in the city to manage deadly speeds.

The LINK (in yellow) on top of mapping showing OTHER TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS darker shading for higher concentrations of Camden County has a long history of maximizing the value of household with no car available. funding dollars to accomplish projects that provide meaningful improvement for the City of Camden. In February 2010, Philadelphia and Camden County jointly received a $23 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the USDOT to build multiple trail segments of a regional network including the Martin 1 https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?useExisting=1&layers=9a9e43ec1603446880c50d4ed1df2207 2 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/camdencountynewjersey,camdencitynewjersey/IPE120219 3 Data courtesy of Numetric and New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 7 Luther King Boulevard Waterfront Connection and Pine Street Greenway Enhancement Project. Camden was awarded its full request of $5.8 million to implement Complete Streets improvements including streetscape, landscaping, lighting, signing, bicycle lanes and roadway replacement. This multi- jurisdictional project completed an integrated, multi-county bicycle pedestrian network for the region, enhancing the region’s livability by increasing active transportation, connecting residential neighborhoods to commercial corridors and places of work, connecting residents to transit, sparking economic development, enhancing underserved neighborhoods’ access to green space and alternatives modes of transportation, and improving public health. This project were certified complete in July 2017. Camden County and Camden City enacted measures in 2013 to improve multi-modal transit with the adoption of Complete Streets policies that prioritize the equitable design of streets for all users on current and future projects. For example, in 2015, the City of Camden constructed 4.3 miles of on- road bicycle lanes, expanding the Camden GreenWay Trail Network and connecting key nodes of activity throughout the City. Another recently completed TIGER grant project, the Cooper Street Pedestrian Access and Cooper’s Poynt Road Reconstruction projects in Camden, demonstrate how the City of Camden continues to successfully use Federal grant money to fund similar infrastructure improvements in a cost-efficient and impactful way. The Cooper’s Poynt project, with a $15 million contract value, overhauled key motor vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle connections between the North Camden neighborhood and several key centers of economic opportunity, including Downtown Camden, the Camden waterfront, the Ben Franklin Bridge and US Route 30. Non-profit and agency partners have also completed a number of transportation projects in Camden. The Camden Community Partnership completed the Cooper’s Poynt Park and Trail in 2017 on the site of a former state prison. The park has stunning views of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and the Philadelphia skyline. As mentioned above, the bicycle and pedestrian ramp that connects to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge was completed by DRPA in 2019. Future transportation investments that are in the planning or design stage in the City of Camden include: • Reconstruction of the Kaighn Avenue bridge over the Cooper River, which will include a shared-use path to connect to the LINK (currently in preliminary design phase) • Reconstruction of Harrison Avenue in the Cramer Hill neighborhood into a “green street” that will contain green stormwater infrastructure and new bicycle and pedestrian accommodations (currently in conceptual design phase) • Reconstruction of State Street in north Camden between Delaware Avenue and 10th Street (Concept Development Report recently completed) • A $250 million overhaul of the Walter Rand Transportation Center, which is the region’s transit hub with connections to the NJ TRANSIT River Line and the PATCO High Speed Line. (currently in conceptual design phase) • The Glassboro-Camden Line is a planned 18-mile passenger rail line to several South Jersey communities, and includes two new stations in the City of Camden (EIS recently completed and submitted to NJDEP) CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 8 II. PROJECT LOCATION The project will be located within the City of Camden and Pennsauken Township, Camden County, New Jersey. The map on the following page provides context for the location of the project. Most of the project is located within census tracts designated as Areas of Persistent Poverty. The project is located within the Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD Urbanized Area and within the 1st Congressional District of New Jersey. The City of Camden is county seat of Camden County, and is the 12th most populous city in New Jersey. Camden is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, PA, the country’s fifth largest city. Current engineering plans and illustrative layouts of the project are available as appendices on the project website at CamdenCounty.com/RAISE (password: CityInvincible). A drone video of the entire Segment 1A and 3 alignment is also available at the project website. Camden’s location in the Northeast Corridor is one reason why employers are flocking to the city. Several companies have moved corporate headquarters to Camden: Subaru, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA franchise, American Water, Holtec International, EMR, The Michaels Organization, NFI and Conner Strong & Buckelew. The city has a port on the Delaware River, and many more private development projects are proposed across the city. The city is connected to the NJ TRANSIT RiverLine and PATCO High Speed Line transit lines, which make connections to Philadelphia and Trenton and easy transfers to Amtrak to reach New York City and Washington, DC. Camden is minutes away from Center City Philadelphia by way of transit, car, bicycle, or even foot across the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The project is also a part of the regional Circuit Trails network, which is a planned 800 mile shared-use trail network throughout the nine county Philadelphia and Camden region. Segment 3 between the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and State Street has been designated a portion of the East Coast Greenway, which will someday be a continuous shared-use path connection between Philadelphia and Trenton.

Segment 3 is a part of the East Coast Greenway, which will someday be a continuous shared-use path between Key West, FL, and Calais, ME, connecting numerous urban areas.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 9 SegmentLINK

3 SegmentLINK LINK Segment 3 1A

SegmentLINK

Segment 4

Future LINK Segment 4

Future LINK

Segment 5

NOTE: The bridge over U.S. Route 130 is a separate project and not considered part of the RAISE grant application.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 10 III. GRANT FUNDS, SOURCES, AND USES OF ALL PROJECT FUNDING As stated in Section I: Project Description, the project consists of two separate segments, Segment 1A and Segment 3 of the Camden County LINK, both of which have independent utility. Some smaller portions of Segments 1A and 3 have already been constructed, or are going to construction in the second half of 2021. Those costs are not accounted for in the following estimate; only the incomplete portions of Segments 1A and 3 are considered below. Camden County plans on utilizing a mix of funding sources, some of which have already been obtained, to complete the project.

PRIOR COSTS Camden County held a competitive selection for a design consultant in 2019 to perform preliminary and final design and permitting for 20 of the 34 miles of the LINK (including Segments 1A and 3). The county’s source of funding for the design consultant’s fee of $4,579,540 is the Camden County Open Space Trust Fund. Camden County was recently the recipient of $3.163 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program funds for the single-span bridge over Crescent Boulevard (US 130) in Segment 1A. That portion of Segment 1A, which has independent utility, is not considered a part of the RAISE grant application.

PROJECT COSTS The total estimated cost of the project is $32.5 million. A summary of these costs is shown in the table below. Detailed construction cost estimates can be found in Appendix E at CamdenCounty. com/RAISE (password: CityInvincible).

Costs Segment 1A Segment 3 Total Project Funding Sources Segment 1A Segment 3 Total Project Trail Construction (in 2023 dollars) $ 6,290,700 $ 13,994,415 $ 20,285,115 RAISE $ 7,579,840 70.7%$ 17,420,160 80.0%$ 25,000,000 76.9% Construction Contingency (20%) $ 1,258,140 $ 2,798,883 $ 4,057,023 Prior Federal Award (TA Set-Aside) $ 1,000,000 9.3% 0.0%$ 1,000,000 3.1% Construction Management & Inspection $ 754,884 $ 1,679,330 $ 2,434,214 Total Federal Commitment $ 8,579,840 80.0%$ 17,420,160 80.0%$ 26,000,000 80.0% Other Professional Services* $ 190,076 $ 1,865,572 $ 2,055,648 Camden County Open Space Funds (TASA Match) $ 250,000 2.3% $ - 0.0%$ 250,000 0.8% ROW Acquisition $ 250,000 $ 1,161,000 $ 1,411,000 Camden County Open Space Funds (RAISE Match) $ 1,894,960 17.7%$ 4,355,040 20.0%$ 6,250,000 19.2% Utility Relocation $ 120,000 $ 230,000 $ 350,000 Total Non-Federal Commitment $ 2,144,960 20.0%$ 4,355,040 20.0%$ 6,500,000 20.0% Riparian & Wetland Mitigation $ 1,861,000 $ 46,000 $ 1,907,000 Grand Total $ 10,724,800 100.0%$ 21,775,200 100.0%$ 32,500,000 100.0% Grand Total $ 10,724,800 $ 21,775,200 $ 32,500,000

*While Camden County has not included the original 2019 design consultant fee in the project costs, since that is a prior expense, there are a number of required supplemental design services required for portions of Segments 1A and 3 that were not included in the original design scope due to ongoing studies.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 11 Segments 1A and 3 of the LINK are, on a per-mile basis, the two most expensive segments of the entire 34- mile length of the LINK. This is due to the urban environment of the trail, and the need for multiple grade-separated structures to span over existing expressways or waterbodies. Segments 1A and 3 consist of about 18% of the total length of the entire LINK, but are projected to be about 25% of the total cost.

FUNDING COMMITMENTS Camden County has secured $1 million Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside grant for the two-span bridge over the Cooper River in Segment 1A, with an obligation deadline of 4/23/2023, and match provided by the Camden County Open Space Fund. The remainder of the project match will be provided by the Camden County Open Space Fund. A resolution was passed by the Camden County Board of Commissioners on June 17, 2021 authorizing the submission of a RAISE grant application for $25,000,000. The listed match in this resolution is incorrectly stated as $5,000,000. The Board of Commissioners will rectify this incorrect match at their meeting on July 22, 2021, and the updated resolution with the correct match will be posted at CamdenCounty.com/RAISE (password: CityInvincible). The table below summarizes the funding sources for each segment, and for the entire project:

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 12 IV. SELECTION CRITERIA The LINK will bring numerous tangible and intangible benefits to Camden County residents and visitors, and is an excellent choice for a RAISE Discretionary Grant. Details are provided below for each of the selection criteria listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

SAFETY As mentioned on page 7, City of Camden residents experience higher motor vehicle crash rates than the rest of Camden County, and vulnerable users of the transportation system experience disproportional rates of being killed or seriously injured. Because of high levels of poverty and low rates of motor vehicle ownership, transportation safety is absolutely an equity issue in the City of Camden. The trail will be an important safety upgrade to those who bike or walk in Camden, as it will keep more vulnerable users off of streets and highways. A bicyclist rides by a memorial for a pedestrian killed in a hit and As shown on the map below, the highest clusters run where the LINK will cross Baird Boulevard in Camden. of bicycle and pedestrian crashes occur along the Haddon Avenue, Federal Street, and Mt. Ephraim Avenue. The LINK will provide an alternative route for those who bike between southern and eastern parts of the city to downtown. A map of all bicycle and pedestrian crashes between 2015-2019 is located on the next page. This project is taking a Safe Systems approach to design. This approach acknowledges the inevitability of human mistakes, and designs countermeasures to ensure that if a crash does occur, it is of a lower severity, and deaths and serious injuries are mitigated. The LINK will be grade-separated at major highway crossings, however, there are a few at-grade street crossings that will occur. The design team is proposing the following safety countermeasures at those locations: • Vehicular right turns across the trail will be reduced to slow down turning traffic. Where trucks need to be accommodated, mountable Example of a mountable apron that reduces right turn speeds. “corner wedges”, like the example to the right, will be installed to force motor vehicle speeds down. According to NACTO, corner wedges improve driver yielding compliance4. 4 https://nacto.org/publication/dont-give-up-at-the-intersection/dedicated-intersections/ 5 https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/pedbike/10043/10043.pdf

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 13 • Motion detecting rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) will be installed at eyk trail crossings, giving a clear warning to motorists that trail users are waiting to cross the roadway. A 2010 FHWA study found that yielding compliance increased from 18% to 88% with the installation of RRFBs at uncontrolled crosswalks5. • New traffic signals will be installed at the intersections of 10th and State Streets as well as Federal Street and Flanders Boulevard intersections.

Mapping of bicycle and pedestrian crashes in the City of Camden (2015- 2019) reveal that specific corridors are the most dangerous. The LINK will provide an alternative travel route for several of these streets. The current Camden Active Transportation Network Vision Plan will identify ways to reduce vulnerable roadway user crashes system-wide.

Map Legend

Fatal Crashes

Severe Injury Crashes

Minor Injury Crashes

Possible Injury Crashes

No Injury Crashes

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 14 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY According to the EPA, the transportation sector is the largest producer of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. In 2019, transportation accounted for 29% of GHG, about 1.9 billion metric tons of CO26. As we look for answers for combating climate change, it must be acknowledged that bicycling and walking are unquestionably the most sustainable methods of transport, and that investments in these modes provide some of the best returns for our climate. The LINK will provide an environmental benefit by taking motor vehicle trips off the roads, and, once coupled with the implementation of the Camden Active Transportation Network, will provide the utility of cross-city trips, a viable commuting route to and from Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs, and first/last mile connections to transit. The Delaware River and tidal Cooper River in Camden are expected to rise 1.4 feet by 2050, based on research by Rutgers University7. This issue was taken into consideration as the trail was designed. In order to ensure that the capital investment in the project results in a resilient transportation facility, all new portions of the LINK will be built above the 2 foot sea level rise elevation, as modeled by NOAA. Further, investments by other parties are working to create a sustainable, resilient Camden waterfront. The Trust for Public Land in the summer of 2021 plans to initiate the design of a tidal wetland located along the LINK east of the Mastery High School (see map on page 10 for location). It is planned that the design of the LINK will be integrated into the wetland park, allowing for an opportunity to educate the public about the role coastal wetlands play in climate change and shoreline resiliency. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will open the Cramer Hill Waterfront Park later this year on the east side of the mouth of the Cooper River, which has transformed a landfill into a 62 acre park with 7 acres of tidal wetlands and 450 feet of living shoreline. This park will be accessible via the East Coast Greenway connection to the LINK. The construction of the LINK will also be coupled with green stormwater infrastructure installations along its route. The trail itself will consist of a 12’ wide porous asphalt design, which will infiltrate rainwater directly within the footprint of the trail. Several strategic locations throughout the trail will also be investigated for management of stormwater runoff from nearby by existing impervious surfaces within the public right of way, such as adjacent streets or publicly owned lots. Some of these ideal site locations include: Mastery High School, the proposed East Coast Greenway intersection at 10th and State Streets, and within Gateway Park. Camden County will be coordinating with the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA) on the design and management of these designs, and they will also be used to offer an educational component on stormwater management along the trail. The project will redevelop several pieces of existing infrastructure to help save costs and resources. Two sections of the LINK will use excess existing curb to curb space on Pearl Street and Delaware Avenue to convert to protected shared-use paths. The project will utilize an existing network of 2.6 miles of trail in various parks to make connections.

6 https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions 7 Coastal Effects of Climate Change in Southeastern PA, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, https://drive.google.com/ file/d/1BwzFUM8GxqKgEtmeFNhHLkye8aL7JnTW/view

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 15 A number of environmental resources (e.g., waterways, wetlands, threatened and endangered species, cultural remains) exist within the project area. The trail alignments have been set and design will be advanced to limit impacts to these resources to the maximum extent possible (i.e. construction of raised boardwalks) while still achieving the project goals. The project is consistent with the following: • Sustainable Camden County Plan • Camden County Master Plan • New Jersey Draft Climate Change Resilience Strategy • DVRPC Connections 2045 Long-Range Plan • DVRPC Equity Through Access Plan The project will also implement principles from the Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines, which promotes resilient, accessible, and habitat-rich riverfronts. Environmental justice has been a focus of the project since the early planning phases. As previously mentioned, Camden is a majority-minority city splintered with numerous expressways and low rates of motor vehicle ownership. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) has compiled an equity analysis titled Indicators of Potential Disadvantage that maps combinations of populations of interest (such as racial minorities, limited English proficiency, and disabled) based on ACS five year estimates. The LINK (in yellow) on top of DVRPC IPD mapping, with darker purple the higher concentrations of disadvantaged populations. The entire City of Camden has some of the highest IPD scores in the entire Philadelphia metro region. . A detailed Equity Analysis can be found in Appendix I at CamdenCounty.com/RAISE (password: CityInvincible). The LINK, and prior planning efforts such as the Camden GreenWay, have had the goal of creating safe and comfortable corridors that maximize both recreational and transportation (i.e., daily commuting) aspects of trail use. The LINK (formerly known as the Cross Camden County Trail) was featured in the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s Inclusionary Trail Planning Toolkit as a case study in inclusionary planning.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 16 Camden County and project partners have undertaken a number of environmental justice initiatives to not only understand where and how the LINK was to be located, but to also understand BIPOC attitudes and misconceptions about trails. • The William Penn Foundation, a local philanthropic organization, sponsored the Equity of Access to Trails project that studied trail use in underserved areas in the Philadelphia region, with Camden being one of the four areas examined. The wide ranging report surveyed local residents on topics such as accessibility, public safety, and maintenance. The report shines a light on the fact that just building trails in underserved communities are not enough; that outreach to communities and physical upkeep will be vital to the success of the project. Camden County intends on making the LINK a high-visibility project and working with partners in the City of Camden to Camden GreenWay and LINK “pop up” public meetings were held at ensure that maintenance of what will neighborhood and regional social events to garner maximum outreach become the centerpiece of the county’s trail system will be kept up. • The Trust for Public Land sponsored the Camden Parks and Open Space Plan that used an equity-driven mapping element to determine priorities for rehabilitation and new parks and open space facilities within the The Trust for Public Land’s outreach found that trails should be the top open space priority in city. During the public Camden. engagement component of the study, it was reported that 96% of the over 400 survey respondents felt that trails were the top priority open space amenity in Camden. • Further, as mentioned in Section I. Project Description, the City of Camden and NJDOT have recently started the Camden Active Transportation Network Vision planning process, which will involve a substantial amount of community outreach about how the LINK can act as the backbone of a resilient transportation system.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 17 QUALITY OF LIFE This project will not only improve the quality of life for City of Camden residents, but also for those in surrounding suburban communities and for those traveling or commuting from the city of Philadelphia. The LINK, coupled with the rest of the Circuit Trails and Camden Active Transportation Network, will help provide an all ages and abilities transportation choice to help make connections to job centers, healthcare, and other essential services in and around the City of Camden. A well connected active transportation network will be vital for a city in which more than one-third of its households do not own a car, and the LINK will act as the backbone of that network. As discussed previously in this narrative, the LINK will help break down the physical and psychological barriers created by the construction of the interstate highway system, which disproportionally affects BIPOC populations. As with many cities, Camden also faced a legacy of redlining that affects residents to this day. A 2016 investigation found that a Black loan applicant in the Camden area was 2.6 times more likely to be denied a loan8. Redlining limited intergenerational wealth opportunities, creating a vicious circle of poverty. Today, only 39% of Camden households are owner- occupied9, while nationally, the rate is near 65%. It was in these redlined areas where expressway construction took place and splintered neighborhoods. The LINK will be an attempt to help stitch neighborhoods back together, Much of Camden (outlined in black connect residents to good paying jobs, and increase the livability in adjacent dash) and parts of neighboring neighborhoods. Pennsauken Township were placed in the lowest grade of “residential The LINK will directly connect to several public or senior housing security” in 1930’s redlining maps, developments, including the Abigail House, a 188 bed skilled nursing facility, leading to difficulty for Black residents and Camden Lutheran Housing. The LINK will also directly connect to to obtain home ownership. nine parks or open spaces along the Delaware and Cooper Rivers. The LINK will essentially create a continuous band of park space along the city’s waterfront, and create open space opportunities that will rival those found in Philadelphia.

8 NJ Spotlight News, As Redlining Persists, Camden Area Among Hot Spots in U.S. for Mortgage Denials, https://www.njspotlight. com/2018/02/18-02-16-as-redlining-persists-camden-area-among-hot-spots-in-us-for-mortgage-denials/ 9 https://www.njisj.org/new_institute_report_erasing_nj_s_red_lines_ties_generations_of_housing_discrimination_to_gaping_racial_ wealth_gap_in_the_garden_state_and_offers_policy_recommendations

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 18 ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS The LINK will provide numerous economic benefits for Camden County residents. Some of those benefits have already been discussed in this narrative, such as providing a safe, low cost transportation alternative that can be coupled with the upcoming on-street active transportation network and transit. The LINK will be central to increasing Camden’s bicycle and pedestrian mode share and first/last mile transit connections, and help lower residents’ (and outside commuters’) reliance on automobiles. The LINK will also be an appealing amenity to visitors that will attract spending, home purchases, and business relocations to an area that is in need of a more resilient tax and employment base. Developers are touting the walkability of new, nearby mixed use developments, and the quick access to Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs via the LINK will be an important amenity. The LINK reaches a variety of land uses, including corporate campuses, industrial and manufacturing, residential, and a college campus. The LINK will also be a two-way street for Philadelphia and suburban commuters reaching jobs in Camden, as well as Camden residents reaching jobs Philadelphia and nearby suburbs. Following New Jersey Public Contracting Laws, Camden County enters into Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for any projects over $5 million. These agreements welcome diversity to the work site and promote public policy. In any public works project over $2,000.00 Camden County adheres to The New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act (N.J.S.A. 34:11-56.25 et seq.) establishes a prevailing wage level for workers engaged in public works in order to safeguard the worker’s efficiency and general well-being, and to protect them as well as their employers from the effects of serious and unfair competition resulting from wage levels that are detrimental to the efficiency and well-being of all concerned. The Act requires the payment of minimum rates of pay to laborers, craftsmen, and apprentices employed on public works projects. Covered workers must receive the appropriate craft prevailing wage rate as determined by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development. Camden County is now coordinating with the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) on a feasibility study to find a trail route to connect the LINK to Atlantic City and the network of trails and bike lanes along the Jersey Shore. A future continuous trail between Philadelphia, Camden, and Atlantic City would be an economic benefit to the smaller communities between these large population centers. The so-called “city to shore” route would be a flat, roughly 70 mile bicycle ride, and would eventually pass through over 20 separate Camden and Atlantic County communities.

STATE OF GOOD REPAIR As previously mentioned, the project will close a significant gap in the county and regional (Circuit) trail network, will set the stage for future extensions of the LINK into suburban communities to the south and east of Camden, and will be the backbone of the Camden Active Transportation Network, the city’s on-street bike lane and pedestrian network. The project will make existing and future trail, sidewalk, and bike lanes more useable, and lower the burden for travel by motorized modes.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 19 The project is consistent with city (Camden GreenWay), county, and regional (DVRPC) trail plans. Most of the project funding match and the ongoing operations and maintenance of the LINK will be provided by the Camden County Open Space Trust Fund. Voters in Camden County first passed an open space tax in 1999 at $0.01 per $100 of assessed value. The tax was later increased to $0.02 per $100 of assessed value, in the early 2000s, where it remains today. Currently, the Camden County Open Space Tax generates more than $7,000,000 annually. Operations and maintenance of green stormwater infrastructure systems, intended to manage extra public right of way runoff in Camden (outside of the pervious pavement of the trail itself), will be provided by the CCMUA.

PARTNERSHIP (SECONDARY CRITERIA) Many stakeholders have worked together to make the LINK a reality. Several portions of Segments 1A and 3 of the LINK have already been built or will go to construction in 2021. The DRPA constructed the Gateway Park trails in 2000, with ownership recently being transferred to the CCMUA. The New Jersey Conservation Foundation is also a partner assisting in managing Gateway Park, and has dedicated $50,000 toward the construction of the Baird Boulevard crosswalk portion of Segment 1A. The Camden Community Partnership (CCP), formerly known as Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, has overseen the construction of Cooper’s Poynt Park, and will see the North Camden Waterfront Park and the River Birch Trail segment go to construction in 2021. Camden Community Partnership is currently working with Campbell’s Soup and Subaru to convert an empty parcel along the LINK near their respective headquarters to an ecological meadow space for the public to enjoy. Camden County collaborated on the planning of the LINK with the local MPO, DVRPC, who manages the regional Circuit Trails plan. The entire LINK Trail has been designated as a Circuit Trail, which is a part of the regional 800-mile shared-use trail network. As mentioned above, the county is also coordinating with the SJTPO on connections to the south of Camden County. The county and the CCMUA will partner up on the project to implement green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) along the trail alignment. Because most of the City of Camden is located within a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) sewershed, the installation of GSI will help the CCMUA meet its stormwater runoff goals listed in its recently updated Long Term Control Plan and Selection and Implementation of Alternatives Report. Other partnership opportunities include: • Working with The Trust for Public Land and Mastery Charter High School to integrate the LINK into plans for a wetland park at the mouth of the Cooper River (as detailed in the Environmental Sustainability section above). • The LINK will serve as a path to several historical sites, including the Benjamin Cooper House (built 1734), Joseph Cooper House (built 1695), and Cooper River Park, in addition to many other along future LINK segments. • CCP’s alliance with neighborhood groups, such as Parkside Business & Community in Partnership and North Camden, will be valuable during upcoming public outreach conducted for the design phase improvements.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 20 INNOVATION (SECONDARY CRITERIA) Innovative approaches which will be used on this project include: • Project Delivery: Due to constraints on available funding, typical trail projects in New Jersey are performed in short segments, up to one or two miles at a time, and entire lengths of trails can literally take decades to design and construct. In order to accelerate the trail development timeline and make the project available for more varied sources of funding (such as RAISE), Camden County selected an engineering consultant in May 2019 to begin design of the first 20 miles of the LINK. That 20 miles of trail is being designed in eight separate segments in a staggered schedule format. The consultant has been able to achieve efficiencies in the design and permitting process, and has streamlined the review process with agencies such as NJDOT and NJDEP. More detail on the design and permitting process can be found in Section V. Environmental Risk Review. • Green Stormwater Infrastructure: As detailed in Environmental Sustainability selection criteria, the project will include Green Stormwater Infrastructure which will manage stormwater runoff from adjacent impervious surfaces within the public right of way. By including this work as a part of the project, not only will CCMUA help meet its milestone goal of 10% reduction in directly connected impervious area to the combined sewer system (DCIA), but both Camden County and the CCMUA will achieve cost efficiencies during construction, and bring about an attractive and educational community amenity to trailside or trailhead locations.

I Bike Camden, an initiative led by the Camden Community Partnership and Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, leads regular bike rides throughout Camden neighborhoods to encourage residents to take up active transportation modes.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 21 V. ENVIRONMENTAL RISK REVIEW

PROJECT SCHEDULE As previously mentioned, Camden County’s design consultant is currently working on the preliminary design of multiple segments of the LINK. Coordination with NJDOT, permitting agencies, and municipalities has been underway for the last two years. Segment 1A work is well underway, with a projected obligation date of January 2023, and construction complete by October 2024. Segment 3 design work was commenced earlier this year, and currently has a projected obligation date of June 2023, with construction complete by March 2025. Both segments will have sufficient time to meet obligation and construction deadline as established in the Notification of Funding Opportunity. A summary of the project schedule is displayed below. Detailed schedules can be found in Appendix H at CamdenCounty.com/RAISE (password: CityInvincible).

Segment Activity 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1

Survey Survey

Permit NEPA/Environmental Investigations NEPA/Environmental Reviews/Approvals

Segment 1A: Structures Alternatives Design Preliminary Design Final Design Flanders Analysis Utility Boulevard to Utility Coordination Cooper River Park Coordination Public ROW Acquisition Public Meeting/ROW Mtg

Bidding/Construction Bidding/Construction

Survey Survey

NEPA/Environmental Permit NEPA/Environmental Investigations Reviews/Approvals

Segment 3: Conce Design Preliminary Design Final Design Ben Franklin pt Utility Bridge to Flanders Utility Coordination Boulevard Coordination Public ROW Acquisition Public Meeting/ROW Mtg

Bidding/Construction Bidding/Construction

The approach for environmental permitting is to permit each trail segment separately (which has independent utility), as opposed to permitting each trail improvement section separately, in order to promote efficiency in both the application preparation process by the consultant and the review process by regulatory agencies.

REQUIRED APPROVALS Based upon the nature of the project and FHWA’s guiding regulations, it is anticipated that the appropriate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document for Segment 1A will be a Categorical Exclusion Document (CED). Preparation of the CED for Segment 1A is underway and it is expected that the final draft document will be submitted to NJDOT in ugustA 2021 for review/ approval and processing with FHWA. Environmental studies for Segment 1A were conducted by the county’s design consultant, NV5, early in the Preliminary Design Phase. The following is a summary of those studies:

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 22 • Waterways: The proposed trail will cross two (2) NJDEP regulated watercourses (Cooper River and Chandlers Run) that exist within the project area and will be crossed by the proposed trail. The trail will also run adjacent to the Cooper River for 1350’. 300’ riparian buffers apply due to their C1 water quality classification. Chandlers Run and the Cooper River (downstream of the Cooper River Parkway Kaighn Ave Dam) are tidal. • Wetlands: Freshwater wetlands and state open waters were delineated by NV5. 150’ wetland buffers are applicable due to bald eagle and freshwater mussel habitat. Coastal wetlands are also mapped along the Cooper River and Chandlers Run. • Threatened & Endangered Species: State-listed threatened or endangered species in the vicinity of the project area include bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), eastern pond mussel (Ligumia nasuta), tidewater mucket (Leptodea ochracea), and yellow lampmussel (Lampsilis cariosa). Great blue heron (Ardea herodias), a species of special concern, is also present within the project vicinity. Due to in-water activities within the Cooper River, mussel surveys will be required and will be performed in the second half of 2021. • Noise: Since the project is a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trail, no long-term significant changes in noise levels are anticipated. Construction may result in temporary ambient noise levels in the short-term. Specifications will be required for all contractors to comply with all applicable regulations to reduce noise levels. Short-term increase in noise levels can be adequately mitigated by confining construction to daytime hours, and by using appropriate mufflers and vibration dampers designed for the equipment used at the site. • Air: The project is located within the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City metropolitan area defined by USEPA. Camden County is currently a nonattainment area for the 2008 and 2015 NAAAQA for 8-hour Ozone and is classified as an attainment area for other NAAQS criteria pollutants. Since the project is a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trail, no long-term impact on air quality is anticipated. During the construction phase of the project, construction management of the project will include general environmental measures planned and executed in a manner that will minimize air emissions will be accomplished in light of the site’s proximity to users of the surrounding environment. • Cultural Resources: Two (2) properties recommended for historic architectural survey include The Pub and Kaighn Avenue/Cooper River Bridge; effects assessment and mitigation recommendations required for Cooper River Park Historic District due to contributing resources (North Park Drive, Cooper River Tide Gate and Dam, South Park Drive and the park’s pedestrian footpaths and sidewalks) adjacent to the trail; project area has been assessed as having very low or no potential for the presence of archaeological resources. • Hazardous Materials: Seventeen (17) Areas of Concern (AOCs) are present related to such issues as groundwater contamination, historic fill, deed notices, Classification Exemption Area (CEA) and surficial soil contamination. • Green Acres: No Green Acres encumbered parcels exist along the proposed trail alignment. Although the NEPA process for Segment 3 has not yet begun (projected to start in the second half of 2021), based upon the nature of the project and FHWA’s guiding regulations, it is anticipated that the appropriate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document will be a Categorical Exclusion Document (CED). A summary of the preliminary environmental screening performed by CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 23 NV5 using NJDEP Geoweb Database/DataMiner and NJDEP LUCY is as follows: • Waterways: Three (3) tidal watercourses (Delaware River, Tributary to Delaware River and Cooper River) exist within the project area. 300’ riparian buffers are anticipated due to the C1 water quality classification of the waterways. The Delaware River and Tributary to Delaware River are located within Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) Zone 3. • Wetlands: The presence of freshwater wetlands and state open waters are expected. 150’ wetland buffers are anticipated due to bald eagle and freshwater mussel habitat. Coastal wetlands are mapped along the Delaware River, Tributary to Delaware River and Cooper River. • Threatened & Endangered Species: Federally threatened species may include Red Knot while State-listed threatened or endangered species in the vicinity of the project area may include bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), eastern pond mussel (Ligumia nasuta), tidewater mucket (Leptodea ochracea), and yellow lampmussel (Lampsilis cariosa). Great blue heron (Ardea herodias), a species of special concern, is also present within the project vicinity. • Noise: Sensitive noise receptors within 300’ of the project include Rutgers-Camden University’ multi-purpose field and a commercial business (F.W. Winter Inc. & Co.). Since the project is a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trail, no long-term significant changes in noise levels are anticipated. Construction may result in temporary ambient noise levels in the short-term. Specifications will be required for all contractors to comply with all applicable regulations to reduce noise levels. Short-term increase in noise levels can be adequately mitigated by confining construction to daytime hours, and by using appropriate mufflers and vibration dampers designed for the equipment used at the site. • Air: The project is located within the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City metropolitan area defined by USEPA. Camden County is currently a nonattainment area for the 2008 and 2015 NAAAQA for 8-hour Ozone and is classified as an attainment area for other NAAQS criteria pollutants. Since the project is a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trail, no long-term impact on air quality is anticipated. During the construction phase of the project, construction management of the project will include general environmental measures planned and executed in a manner that will minimize air emissions will be accomplished in light of the site’s proximity to users of the surrounding environment. • Cultural Resources: Preliminary historic architectural survey will address the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Cooper Grant Historic District, Benjamin Cooper Ferry and Tavern, Joseph Cooper House, State Street Historic District, State Street/Cooper River Bridge, American Nickel Works, Camden and Amboy Railroad Historic District, Camden and Amboy Railroad Cooper River Swing Bridge, and Federal Street/Cooper River Bridge. Prehistoric archaeological resources potentially exist along undisturbed upland areas along the Delaware and Cooper Rivers while historic archaeological resources potentially exist along the waterfronts of the Delaware and Cooper Rivers. • Hazardous Materials: Multiple AOCs are expected associated with groundwater contamination, historic fill, deed notices and soil contamination. • Green Acres: Limited impacts to the Union Field Community Center/North Camden Center (Block 747, Lot 1).

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 24 List of Required Reviews, Approvals and Permits The following are anticipated for Segment 1A: • NJDEP Freshwater Wetlands General Permit 17 • NJDEP Flood Hazard Area Individual Permit • NJDEP Stormwater Management Compliance • NJDEP Waterfront Development Permit • NJDEP Tidelands - Tidelands Conveyance • SHPO Eligibility and Effect Determination • USACE Section 10 Permit • USACE Section 404 Permit • US Coast Guard Coordination (possible bridge permit for pier in water) • Section 4(f) Statement • Camden County Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Certification

A virtual pre-application meeting for Segment 1A was held with NJDEP on November 18, 2020. Coordination with NJDEP has been ongoing since then. A Hardship Exception for proposed fill within the inner 25-feet of a riparian zone and for fill in the floodway was submitted to NJDEP Land Use on July 10, 2021. It is expected that formal permit applications/documents will be submitted to the regulatory agencies by April 2022, with the exception of the Camden County Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan application being submitted by July 2022.

The following are anticipated for Segment 3: • NJDEP Freshwater Wetlands Individual Permit • NJDEP Flood Hazard Area Individual Permit • NJDEP Stormwater Management Compliance • NJDEP Waterfront Development Permit • NJDEP Tidelands - Tidelands Conveyance • SHPO Eligibility and Effect Determination • USACE Section 10 Permit • USACE Section 404 Permit • Section 4(f) Statement • Camden County Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Certification • Possible coordination with Delaware River Basin Commission

The preparation of permit related documentation for Segment 3 has not yet begun, but will be conducted concurrently with the Preliminary Design Phase, with permit applications being submitted toward the end of the Preliminary Design or early Final Design. Design coordination with NJDOT Local Aid and relevant Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) has been ongoing for both Segments 1A and 3; ; both segments will be within NJDOT Right of Way (ROW) along US Route 30. See Appendix L for NJDOT coordination meeting minutes at CamdenCounty.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 25 com/RAISE (password: CityInvincible). Coordination with DRPA will be ongoing as it relates to Pearl Street modification and the Cooper’s Poynt Bridge under the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. NJ TRANSIT has preliminarily approved the Segment 3 crossing under the existing RiverLine light rail bridge structure. The project has also included continuous internal coordination between Camden County’s Parks and Public Works Departments. DVRPC, the MPO for the Camden area, has pledged full support for the project and will include the project on the TIP if awarded RAISE funding (see Letters of Support in Appendix D at CamdenCounty.com/RAISE password: CityInvincible). The letters of support will also show that the LINK project has broad support from State, regional, county, and local officials, organizations, and agencies. Public engagement for the project has taken place over a number of years, and has included the following: • Development of the Camden GreenWay city trails plan took place in 2015 and involved five stakeholder meetings and two public meetings. The public meetings were held at Johnson Park and the Kroc Center during other community events, allowing for a broad range of community feedback. More detail on the public engagement can be found in 2016 Camden GreenWay Circuit Trails Plans at CamdenCounty.com/RAISE password: CityInvincible. • The Cross Camden County Trail Feasibility Study, performed in 2016-2017, solicited public outreach at two “pop-up” public meetings at the Camden County WinterFest ice skating rink on two consecutive weekends. The county also had a media blitz of newspaper, social media, and radio coverage, and set up a website to virtually accept feedback and comments via Google Maps format. Public engagement for the current design phase of Segments 1A and 3 has not yet occurred. Public meetings specific to these segments may take place as a part of the current Camden Active Transportation Network Vision Plan process. As detailed in the Project History portion of Section I. Project Description, the current Camden Active Transportation Network Vision Plan has developed a Community Engagement and Inclusion Plan for this project involves in-person and virtual meetings at events in multiple Camden neighborhoods later this year, and various outreach tactics to obtain feedback from the diverse City of Camden population.

ASSESSMENT OF PROJECT RISKS AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES Camden County and the planning/design consultant have taken a number of steps to limit the project risks and the potential impact on cost and schedule. During the feasibility study stage of the project, one of the analyses of routing the LINK was to maximize the use of public parks, open space, and right of way in order to limit easement or fee simple land acquisitions. Most of Segment 1A is located on property owned by Camden County, NJDOT or CCMUA. There will be three easement acquisitions required on Segment 1A: • Behind the Speedway gas station on Route 30, which is largely within the 100-year floodplain and is not developable land • A small parcel along Route 30 that is owned by PSE&G, a local utility company, formerly used for a gas line crossing the Cooper River

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 26 • A portion of the parcel that The Pub is located on; the easement acquisition will take place on the wooded portion of the parcel, also located within the 100-year flood plain, and will not impact current parking operations. Likewise, most of Segment 3 is located on publicly owned parcels or rights of way. There will be five easement or fee simple acquisitions required on Segment 3: • Waterway access across the F.W. Winter property north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge • On the parcel referred to as “Lot 1, Block 1”, where the Benjamin Cooper House is located. Camden County and the Camden County Historical Society are coordinating efforts to acquire the portions of the parcel where the historical house and the area where the trail will be located. • The riverfront portions of the J&R Pallets property. • The former Pyne Poynt Marine Services parcel. Camden County has been in talks with the current owner about acquisition and preservation of the parcel as a riverfront park space. • An easement along the top of bank of the Cooper River on the E-Zone Management LLC parcels south of State Street. The Delaware and Cooper River waterfronts have seen a number of historical uses, some of which have resulted in Areas of Concern (AOC) that were noted in the Required Approvals section above. Camden County, in coordination with NJDEP, is prepared to address any environmental issues that arise out of pending screenings. The construction cost estimate prepared for this application has taken into account 4% annual cost escalations, assuming a 2023 bid for both project segments. The cost estimate also includes a 25% contingency to account for current unknowns. Camden County anticipates no issues with procurements during construction. As noted on pages 7-8, Camden County is well versed in executing federally funded projects, having completed two previous TIGER projects in the city of Camden. Camden County has the capacity to undertake this project, and is well underway on the design phase. The county’s design consultant, NV5 Inc., is a well-respected, international firm that is highly qualified to perform active transportation design, acquiring necessary permits with NJDEP, USACE, and other parties, and complete design coordination with NJDOT and local agencies.

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 27 VI. BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS This project, which contains Segments 1A and 3 of the Camden County LINK, are the two most vital links to the eventual full 34-mile trail across the county. The difficult connections across highways and bodies of water will unlock a safe and comfortable pathway between the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and Camden’s suburbs, that even in the short term, before the rest of the LINK is constructed, will offer big benefits. While there are some portions of Segments 1A and 3 already constructed, or are about to be developed, these sections will not have realizable benefits as detached, isolated trail segments. By completing a contiguous trail, the project will create substantial benefits for the entire area. A Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) was performed for the project; the full detailed analysis and spreadsheets can be found in Appendix J at CamdenCounty.com/RAISE password: CityInvincible. A number of benefits were quantified as associated with this project, summarized below:

Benefit Summary Table

Environmental Sustainability Car Air Pollution Reduction

Reduced Traffic Injuries Safety Pedestrian and Cyclist Crash Reduction

The development costs of the project relevant to this application are $32.5 million, with the bulk ofMetric those costs to be spent during constructionNominal Sum in 2023-2025.Present Operations Value (3%) and maintenancePresent Value costs (7%) are estimatedPresent Valueto be about of Benefits 1% of total $720,646,067capital costs, or approximately$443,949,613 $243,000, which will be$260,767,189 funded byPresent the Camden Value County of Costs Parks Department$32,500,000 (for the trail) or the CCMUA$29,367,603 (for green stormwater$25,804,196 infrastructure).Net Present Value $688,146,067 $414,582,010 $234,962,994 Benefit / Cost Ratio 22.2 15.1 10.1

Segment 1A Segment 3 Full Project Scope Benefits State of Good Repair $1,824,540 $5,540,241 $7,525,132 Economic Competitiveness $21,478,332 $41,874,272 $108,946,335 Quality of Life $11,718,269 $28,835,200 $60,381,634 CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 Environmental Sustainability $61,739 $151,943 $373,788 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 28 Safety $11,225,984 $42,352,610 $83,360,199 Total Benefits $46,308,865 $118,754,266 $260,587,088 Costs Construction Costs $9,116,814 $16,687,381 $25,804,196 Total Costs $9,116,814 $16,687,381 $25,804,196 Net Benefits $37,192,050 $102,066,885 $234,782,892 Benefit/Cost Ratio 5.1 7.1 10.1

Benefit Summary Table

Long-Term Outcome Associated Benefit Types Stormwater Cost Savings State of Good Repair Reduced Road Maintenance Costs Reduced Vehicle Accident Property Damage Health Benefits Economic Competitiveness Property Value Increase Recreation Benefits – New Users Quality of Life Recreation Benefits – Current Users The BCA monetizes the benefits listed in the table above and values those benefits in dollar terms overEnv fortyironm years.ental SBenefitsustaina bareilit ythen discounted to 2021Car Airdollars Pollution and compared Reduction to project costs to calculate the cost benefit ratio. This detailed BCA approach indicates that the quantifiable benefits Reduced Traffic Injuries areSa 10.1fety to 22.2 times the total costs of the project, as shown in the table below: Pedestrian and Cyclist Crash Reduction

BENEFIT COST SUMMARY

Metric Nominal Sum Present Value (3%) Present Value (7%) Present Value of Benefits $720,646,067 $443,949,613 $260,767,189 Present Value of Costs $32,500,000 $29,367,603 $25,804,196 Net Present Value $688,146,067 $414,582,010 $234,962,994 Benefit / Cost Ratio 22.2 15.1 10.1

As stated above, the project consists of two identifiable trail segments. When considered together, these two segments represent the completionSegment of a large 1A trailSegment area. When 3 consideredFull Project together, Scope the scale of the infrastructure, as well as the synergetic nature of the improvements, generate benefits Benefits far beyond what would be possible if either segment were developed in isolation. State of Good Repair $1,824,540 $5,540,241 $7,525,132 The impacts Economic of Segment Competitiveness 1A and Segment 3$21,478,332 were also modeled $41,874,272 in isolation. Each$108,946,335 segment has a unique setQuality of safety of Life improvements, coverage$11,718,269 area, and other$28,835,200 considerations. However,$60,381,634 both segments Environmentalrepresent an expansion Sustainability of pedestrian $61,739and cycling infrastructure,$151,943 along with$373,788 the additional considerations Safety detailed above. As such, the $11,225,984range of benefit $42,352,610 categories from either$83,360,199 segment are comparable to the overall project scope, while the magnitude of each benefit differs between each Total Benefits $46,308,865 $118,754,266 $260,587,088 segment. Costs Construction Costs $9,116,814 $16,687,381 $25,804,196 Total Costs $9,116,814 $16,687,381 $25,804,196 Net Benefits $37,192,050 $102,066,885 $234,782,892 Benefit/Cost Ratio 5.1 7.1 10.1

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 29 Benefit Summary Table

Environmental Sustainability Car Air Pollution Reduction

Reduced Traffic Injuries Safety Between the two trail segments, Segment 3 shows aPedestrian higher benefit and toCyclist cost ratioCrash of Reduction 7.1, compared to Segment 1A with a benefit to cost ratio of 5.1. Combining the separate segment analyses, the benefit cost ratio would be 6.4. This result is far below the full project scope ratio of 10.1. These benefit to cost ratios are presented using a discount rate of 7 percent. This comparison illustrates the value of Metric Nominal Sum Present Value (3%) Present Value (7%) completing the trail segments in a coordinated manner. Quantifiable benefits and costs are shown Present Value of Benefits $720,646,067 $443,949,613 $260,767,189 for each segment in isolation, as well as the overall project scope, using discount rate of 7% in the tablePresent below. Value Refer of toCosts the full BCA document$32,500,000 in the appendix for$29,367,603 further details. $25,804,196 Net Present Value $688,146,067 $414,582,010 $234,962,994 Benefit / Cost Ratio 22.2 15.1 10.1

BENEFIT COST COMPARISON – FULL PROJECT SCOPE VERSUS INDIVIDUAL TRAIL SEGMENTS – 7% DISCOUNT RATE

Segment 1A Segment 3 Full Project Scope Benefits State of Good Repair $1,824,540 $5,540,241 $7,525,132 Economic Competitiveness $21,478,332 $41,874,272 $108,946,335 Quality of Life $11,718,269 $28,835,200 $60,381,634 Environmental Sustainability $61,739 $151,943 $373,788 Safety $11,225,984 $42,352,610 $83,360,199 Total Benefits $46,308,865 $118,754,266 $260,587,088 Costs Construction Costs $9,116,814 $16,687,381 $25,804,196 Total Costs $9,116,814 $16,687,381 $25,804,196 Net Benefits $37,192,050 $102,066,885 $234,782,892 Benefit/Cost Ratio 5.1 7.1 10.1

CAMDEN COUNTY LINK TRAIL, SEGMENTS 1A AND 3 FY 2021 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 30