Hudson Trail areas to close for improvements BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN - Signs reading "Closed for Repairs" will be joining the trees and paved pathways as common sights in various sections of the Henry Hudson Trail. The Monmouth County Park System announced on Sept. 17 that sections of the Henry Hudson Trail-North would be closed for about six weeks starting on or about Oct. 1. Repairs will begin in Atlantic Highlands in the area of the Henry Hudson Activity Center westward to North Leonard Avenue in Leonardo. Repair work will also take place in the area between Thompson and Broadway avenues, in Leonardo; from the Compton's Creek footbridge to Wilson Avenue in Port Monmouth; from Creek Road to the Waackaack footbridge in Keansburg; and in the area between Green Grove Avenue and Atlantic Street in Keyport. The repairs will consist of pruning tree roots, the removal of select vegetation and the repair and replacement of approximately 1.5 miles of asphalt. "We are doing this for the safety and enjoyment of the public," Monmouth County Parks System Public Information Officer Susan Walsh said. "The trail has gone through some wear and tear." Visitors who use the trail are encouraged to access it from the Spruce Street access lot in Union Beach and the Gerard Avenue/Clark Street in Keyport. While under repairs, portions of the trail will be impassable. On the trail last week, Ricky Sisco, of Middletown, said he uses it almost daily to walk his dog Biggie by McMahon Park, Middletown. Sisco said that while the repairs are being done he'd just have to find another way, though the trail is the quickest and most scenic route to Keansburg High School. "There are other ways to get there," Sisco said. "I'll just have to do that then." The Thompson Avenue repairs will be the second area completed, so Sisco and Biggie will have to wait a week or two until they can use the trail again once the repairs begin. Walsh had one piece of advice for the people who frequent the popular trail. "If people reach an area that is sectioned off they'll just have to turn around and go back the way they came," Walsh said.