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  • NY - Dutchess Rail Trail phase 4

  • General discussion related to Rail Trails nationwide, including proposed rail trail routes. The official site of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy can be found here: www.railstotrails.org.
General discussion related to Rail Trails nationwide, including proposed rail trail routes. The official site of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy can be found here: www.railstotrails.org.

Moderator: railtrailbiker

 #1173998  by bigK
 
This final phase of the rail trail encompasses more than just the new 900 foot 5 span bridge over SR 55,as I found out when I was
at Old Manchester Rd.,behind Page Lumber,recently.Near the above location,just 500 feet away,work on the new LaGrange trailhead
was underway.The following week I was on a City of Poughkeepsie bus that crosses over the rail trail at Morgan Lake.I had seen,
to my surprise and delight,that work had started on the connector link trail between the Walkway and the Dutchess rail trail
at the Morgan Lake trailhead in the city of Poughkeepsie.And so,phase 4 also includes the construction of the link trail as well.

for full report on the DRT,and the Walkway elevator,please visit my updated BLOG

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 #1188429  by bigK
 
Dutchess RT phase 4b (stage 5) - connector-link trail - construction
05-07-13

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The Morgan Lake trailhead had that under construction look like it did prior to the opening of the pahse 2 section in July of 2009.The concrete barricades had been moved south-east onto onto the very end of the phase 2 pavement.There was orange netting closing off the access trail.There was a temporary gravel access trail.At the kiosk,the 2011 rail trail maps had been removed.They will be obsolete in October.I would presume a brand new 2013 Dutchess Rail Trail map,showing a complete rail trail going all the way from Hopewell Jct. to the east end of the Walkway Over The Hudson state park,will be put into the
map display enclosure.

for full report with construction pics gallery,please visit my BLOG
 #1189134  by bigK
 
Now if they could just pry the hospital branch property out of CSX and turn THAT into a trail....
ah... yes Russ - I had THOUGHT/WISHED that when our Senator,Chuck Schumer,negotiated the property acquisition deal with CSX that it was for ALL - as in 100% the whole shebang - of the CSX ROW property in the city of Poughkeepsie but alas (still very good though) just for the 8/10 mi section of mainline ROW between the very east end of the WOTH RT to the DRT at Morgan Lk.

there has been a lot going on in the Water St./riverfront area of Poughkeepsie of late - the new Hofman St. bridge over the rail yard/Hudson line and with that also new paving and a sidewalk for Water St. up to 30 ft. north of the Walkway bridge - indications are that they stoped work on this for construction of the new park (Upper Landing) AND the elevator for the Walkway - another street in the area was re-paved and has a new sidewalk - Kittredge Pl. - this street though leads down to an industrial area,which includes the C.O.P sewage treatment plant,and the north railyard why would they be encouraging pedestrians to walk down to this area unless... someone else thought as I did that ALL of the CSX ROW property had been acqured and so this sidewalk along Kittredge wouuld lead to access for a RT see below...

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Kitredge Pl. with new paving and sidewalk - this leads to the below...

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the old hospital siding at the Hudson line / north rail yard
 #1200925  by bigK
 
Dutchess RT extension/connector trail - construction phase 4b (stage 5)
06-17-2013

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the end of an era ...

the last ties on the Maybrook main line between Poughkeepsie and Hopewell Jct. have been removed as part of
the Dutchess RT extension/connector (stage 5) construction.This is that 8/10 of a mile section between the Walkway OTH and
the Morgan Lake northern trailhead (phase 2 2009),that was acquired for Dutchess county by the Walkway organization,with help
from NY Sen. Chuck Schumer

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one can see from the above photo,that the Maybrook line was once a double track main line

07-17-2013

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the connector trail is now paved - still closed to the public and not 100% complete

there is now a contiguous paved (and concrete deck) trailway between Tony Wiliams park,twn. of Lloyd Ulster county,
and SR 55 in in the twn. of Poughkeepsie Dutchess county.The section of the RT from Overocker Rd. (phase 2 2009) to SR 55,
had been paved earlier as part of phase 4.From someone I have talked to,the first section(s) of the new Manchester bridge
may be in place.This bridge is the last 900' piece of the rail trail 'puzzle'