Turnpike Gap Challenge

Please register for FREE to attend.

This event is free and open to the public.

Come out to represent the interests of walkers, cyclists, commuters and local businesses as we advocate for a much-needed shared-use pathway crossing the Delaware River, with a critical improvement the the East Coast Greenway, one that FreeWalkers will want to walk multiple times on every year's calendar. Pedestrian concerns generally are being dismissed, and we need to be heard.
Start: Bristol, PA (precise start time and exact location to be determined)
Finish: Florence, NJ
Distance: 4-26mii
Where to find us: Near Bristol Wharf, in Lions Park or Basin Park
Optional endpoints: Bristol Amish Market, Levittown, Morrisville, Trenton, Bordentown
Mini: 4 mile Bristol loop march
Terrain: paved and gravel
Transit: Septa rail
Return: River Line and Septa
Parking: At location in Bristol
Difficulty: Advanced
Category: urban, theme
Coordinator: Charles Updike
The bridge that connects the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpikes between Bristol and Burlington passes over two nationally and regionally important trails, the East Coast Greenway and the Delaware River Heritage Trail, yet there is no shared-use pathway on the bridge to connect these trails on either side of the river. Even worse, there is no way to cross the Delaware River without an automobile anywhere between Trenton and the Tacony Palmyra Bridge, not even by mass transit, a gap of nearly thrity miles! For two and a half centuries, crossing the Delaware River was easy, thanks to a ferry established in 1681. The bridges put that historic ferry out of business. Today, the best way to get between Bristol and Burlington without a car is the long way around, traveling upstream to Trenton, crossing there, and returning down the other side, turning a crossing that should take a commuter on a bicycle ten minutes and less than a mile of travel into a marathon distance that is a two-hour ordeal by transit and an endurance event for walkers and cyclists.
The bridge is to be rebuilt, and the various design alternatives advanced by the turnpike commisions offer no design with a pathway. Not a human being, on foot or bicycle, to be found in any of their artist renderings.
A pedestrian and cycling path crossing both the river and Route 13 would address one of the most significant breaks in regional connectivity for both the Delaware Canal Towpath and the East Coast Greenway. The traffic dynamic on Route 13 at Green Lane creates a dangerous and discouraging barrier for those traveling along these nationally significant trails, a significant break in the Greenway. Continuous, safe passage would encourage more active transportation, connect communities on both sides of the river, and position Bristol as a key link in the larger trail network, just as Yardley, New Hope, Lambertville, Stockton and Frenchtown have benefitted upstream along the very popular D&L Loop Trail system. Bristol should become a proud part of that loop network, a destination we can look forward to enjoying more in the future as FreeWalkers.
In conjunction with the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition, the Philadelphia Bike Coaltion and other organiations, we will use this occaion to speak out about the long-standing need for more crossing options that better suit the transportation needs of the 21st and 22nd centuries, as we move steadily towards a less automobile-dependent culture, with more trail access for all. Afterwards, we will walk the long way around from one end of the bridge to the other, to highlight the absurdity of the lack of a shorter route in such a heavily populated corridor. We expect a substantial cycling contingent as well, who will ride the route for their right to better access as well.
FreeWalkers are welcome to opt to walk or ride.

Tentative event plan:
- Meet before on Mill Street for coffee, breakfast, bathrooms
- Rally for our cause along Bristol waterfront
- March and walk bikes through town to the canal towpath
- Walk/ride the towpath to the bridge
- Speak briefly about design and impact beneath the bridge
- Set out on the long route to Burlington via Trenton on bike and foot

This walk is part of the 2026 celebration of the Delaware River Heritage Trail. Join us as we walk the trail on these dates:
May 2: Turnpike Gap Challenge, Bristol to Burlington
Aug 15: Delaware River Heritage Trail Loop Walk
(Philadelphia, Camden, Pennsauken, Palmyra, Tacony, Port Richmond)
Aug 29: Lower Bucks Loop Walk, Levittown to Bristol, Fairless Hills
Sep 5: Roebling Ramble, Roebling to Trenton
Sep 26: Burlington Heritage Trail Walk, Burlington to Palmyra
Oct 3: 17.76 mile Heritage Trail Freedom Walk, Philly and Camden
Oct 17: Bristol Stomp, Bristol to Trenton
Partners:
The Delaware River Heritage Trail is a scenic multi-use pathway loop highlighting the cultural and natural resources along the upper portion of the scenic Delaware River estuary, linking dozens of communities from Trenton and Morrisville to Philadephia and Camden, connecting active travellers to parks, canals, waterfront views, and colonial and industrial history.
The East Coast Greenway Alliance is a non-profit organization developing a public multi-use 3,000 mile trail from Canada to Key West through New Jersey and New York. Donations and memberships help make this dream trail a reality.
Circuit Trails is 800 miles of interconnected trails in Greater Philadelphia in the making, already one of America's largest trail networks. Once connected, the Circuit Trails will be one of the nation's premier urban trail networks and it will provide multiple benefits to neighborhoods, communities and the region as a whole.

More about FreeWalkers:
Our calendar of walks and hikes | About FreeWalkers | Walker stories | Walking tips