Students, faculty, staff, and the local community will soon be able to close the loop — around Metzger Drive, that is.

Thanks to a generous unrestricted estate gift from Harold ’40 and Lois Winterhalter, the college will begin the process to complete and update “the loop” — a popular 1.8 mile walking/jogging path — around campus.

The project is budgeted at $750,000 and construction is scheduled to be completed by December 2021.

In this phase, new surfaces will be installed near the campus’s lakes, as well as across from the community garden near the softball field. Future phases will update the existing paths, eventually creating a pathway of uniform width and material around Metzger Drive.

“As an alumnus of the college, Ewing resident, and a frequent campus walker, I’m excited that the college is taking the necessary steps to install and update the walking path around Metzger Drive,” says Philip Sanders ’82. “One of the most scenic areas on campus is near the lakes, especially in the spring and fall season. I’m looking forward to my walks around that area thanks to this project.”

The new walkway will be constructed using a porous paving material, made up of a non-slip surface conducive to runners, pedestrians, strollers, wheelchairs, and bicycles.

“It is also a pervious material, which means it allows stormwater to go through it and does not require an expensive stormwater management system,” says Lynda Rothermel, interim senior director of planning and project delivery.

Metzger Drive was named after Charles Metzger ’28, a member of the Alumni Executive Board from 1928–72 and President of the Alumni Association from 1929–30. The road, affectionately known as “the loop,” encircles campus with entrances at Pennington Road and Green Lane. It was named in Metzger’s honor in 1974.

As careful stewards of the college’s resources, the TCNJ Foundation carefully vets each project to ensure it aligns with the college’s mission.

“The Foundation and the college are incredibly thankful to the Winterhalters for the generous gift that made this renovation possible,” says Kim Brandley, chair of the TCNJ Foundation. “These types of gifts allow the college to take on projects that have an immediate meaningful impact and add to the experience for everyone on campus.”

— David Pavlak