A Secret wilderness tucked away in the heart of Jersey City

“Far more than what meets the eye, Bergen Arches reminds us just how powerful the natural world is. Almost allegorically, the abandoned railroad demonstrates just how quickly nature returns once people let it run wild.”

Now known as one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems in the world, the Bergen Arches Preservation Coalition (BAPC) aims “to educate on the benefits of preservation, awareness, and infrastructure re-use” and hiding within a dense urban environment like Jersey City, this accidental conservation area is a breath of fresh air. In fact, with the City’s population consistently growing and an overwhelming need for green space, the BAPC, along with other organizations, seek to maximize the usefulness of such a unique space. Situated 85 feet below street level gives this site an other-worldly feel, with only the most recognizable sites giving your true location away.

With innovative ideas that include a light rail, an extension of the East Coast Greenway or highway development being proposed as future builds for the site, it could be easy to forget the rich history from which the Bergen Arches were built. A pivotal piece of the Erie Railroad, this mile-long segment was a four-track cut that linked the main line to the current Pavonia Terminal. Manhattan-bound travelers could transfer to either the Pavonia Ferry or the well-known Hudson and Manhattan Railroad.

A feat of it’s time, in the early 20th century, the project required upwards of 250,000 pounds of explosives. With regard to site work, workers needed to excavate over 160,000 cubic yards of earth with 800,000 cubic yards of blue trap rock to blast through. With such a fantastic endeavor at hand, construction costs exceeded budget and totaled out around $5,000,000.00, leading to financial strain and the cancellation of the Jersey City waterfront terminal plans. The title, Bergen Arches, was intended to refer to the bridges that were majestically suspended over the Erie Cut, but today the two names have become nearly synonymous.

In 1957, the last trains ran through the terminal, the line was abandoned and the hauntingly beautiful oasis that is Bergen Arches began.  Having been referred to as “a spectacular underground canyon burrowed into the New Jersey Palisades a century ago that exists like a secret wilderness world under the graffiti-laced city streets,” by the New York Times in 2005, the urban paradise has only grown lusher since. Situated 85 feet below street level gives this site an other-worldly feel, with only the most recognizable sites giving your true location away.

 The Bergen Arches Preservation Coalition works diligently to preserve this concrete bio-universe and advocates for general preservation of the site with it being utilized as a shared-use path or greenway for community members. The arches, as described by William Benzon, co-founder of the BAPC, are a “pretty and gritty” place – just the way we like it!

A rare opportunity to feel profound isolation, BAPC is one of many developers seeking to implement a massive project for the site. With a proposal to transition one of the four railroad tracks that are presently owned by NJ Transit into a pathway for free public use, the Bergen Arches Preservation Coalition’s cause falls in line with the mission of the popular East Coast Greenway and Crossroads, an expansive project that looks to both beautify and bolster areas along the coast line. As of late, there is no official statement about the possible future uses for the site but we’re hopeful and happy to have Bergen Arches as part of our Finally Home community.

Please sign up and show your support for the Embankment Preservation Coalition’s vision to preserve the natural ecology and connect the @jerseycityembankment @bergenarches and @essexhudsongreenway

Visit www.embankment.org to see more information on the Embankment Coalition’s vision to preserve the Sixth Street Embankment and connect to the @eastcoastgreenway

Learn more about Jersey City History