Walking or pedaling between Cooper River Park and Philadelphia will get easier thanks to a $5.8 million grant received by Camden County. 

The county, in partnership with Philadelphia and Cooper's Ferry Development Association in Camden, this week accepted the grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Camden County's portion of the project will connect Cooper River Park to the Ben Franklin Bridge through improvements such as sidewalks, streetscaping, bicycle lanes, multi-use paths and trails.

When the project is finished in 2012, walkers and bicyclists will be able to travel back and forth from the park through Camden and across the bridge into Philadelphia, said Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash. 

The overall goal is to connect 128 miles of bicycle trails in the Philadelphia metro region. Use of the linked trails will reduce air pollution while increasing the number of people who travel between Pennsylvania and South Jersey, a potential boon for economic development and tourism on both sides, Nash said. 

Philadelphia County received $17.2 million in grant money for the project.