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The New Jersey Turnpike Authority this week entered into a formal agreement with Jersey City to construct a $10 million bridge from Downtown into Liberty State Park. (Jersey Journal file photo)

State officials are moving ahead with plans to construct a $10 million extension of Jersey Avenue into Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

The proposed roadway would cross the Morris Canal, giving motorists a shortcut to Liberty State Park from Downtown Jersey City.

It would also relieve congestion on the New Jersey Turnpike Extension by giving drivers the option of using local roads to get to Jersey City rather than staying on the extension along with traffic headed to the Holland Tunnel, Turnpike spokesman Thomas Feeney said.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority last week approved a formal agreement with Jersey City. A construction contract could be approved next summer, Feeney said.

Plans for the bridge have faced opposition in the past from Downtown residents who fear it would encourage commuters to use local streets to get to the Holland Tunnel.

Sam Pesin, president of Friends of Liberty State Park, told The Jersey Journal that the group's main interest is for the extension to have plenty of room for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Thousands of new residential units under construction in Downtown means potentially thousands more people walking or biking into Liberty State Park, Pesin said.

He also wants safety measures inside the park where the roadway would connect with Phillip Street: either a four-way stop or a traffic signal.

"The Turnpike can't just say, 'Oh we're (adding) a two-lane road' and ignore the fact that there's going to be a super busy, dangerous intersection," he said.