Walkway Over the Hudson - Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge

[Jeff Smith]

RESOURCES:

https://www.wvrta.org/home/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.wvrta.org/enjoying-the-trai ... al-report/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.wvrta.org/enjoying-the-trai ... old_final/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.wvrta.org/enjoying-the-trai ... eport2006/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[robmcalpine]

So, when this section is completed, one will be able to ride a bike on a contiguous paved trail from Hopewell Junction in Dutchess County to Kingston, NY in Ulster County?
Do I have this correct?
That would be cool..

Rob

[unichris]

So, when this section is completed, one will be able to ride a bike on a contiguous paved trail from Hopewell Junction in Dutchess County to Kingston, NY in Ulster County?

I hope so.

But the bigger news is that Empire Trail money has been funneled through Metro North to turn the middle portion of the Maybrook Line into a rail-with-a-trail from Brewster to Hopewell Junction, work has started with expected completion in 2021. Previous plans to build a bridge across the yard at Southeast seem to have fallen to the back burner, so there will be about a mile gap on roads. But basically one will be able to ride from the NYC subways in the Bronx some 48 miles up to Brewster on the current trails of the former Putnam Division, then up the Maybrook to Hopewell, the existing Duchess County trail to the Walkway, across it, and whatever is accomplished on the west side of the river. Even going just a bit west and turning back to catch a train at Poughkeepsie makes a Century ride - though it's too bad there aren't later evening return schedules on the Hudson Line.

I like the rail-with-a-trail in concept, especially as having a bikes-allowed commuter rail line intersecting with a trail at multiple points eases user planning a lot since it gives options to bail out if a ride isn't going well or is behind schedule. And relevant here, it keeps the rails! That said, of course the Maybrook is not a revenue line. One thing that I suspect will be unfortunate from a trail perspective is that building a rail-with-trail is probably going to mean trimming back the tree canopy, and depending on how widely that is done it could take 10, 20, 30 years to grow back. It sounds minor, but the experience of riding the mostly tree covered Putnam Division is very different from something like the Bike Sundays closures of the Bronx River Parkway where you're out there on the wide asphalt and shoulders of a highway under the summer sun with only the occasional rest stop under an overpass for relief.

[RussNelson]

So, when this section is completed, one will be able to ride a bike on a contiguous paved trail from Hopewell Junction in Dutchess County to Kingston, NY in Ulster County?

It's even better than that. You'll be able to ride from the north edge of the Bronx to Kingston on rail-trails. Sorta. The trolley line from New Paltz to Lloyd was street-running, and the trail will mostly be along the edge of 299 rather than actually being IN 299 like the trolley.

In a more perfect world, the Maybrook right-of-way would have been preserved, but there's still no way to get from East Walden to Walden except via the street-running Newburg and Walden trolley.

[Jeff Smith]

That's fantastic! Russ, how does the Put ROW Rail-Trail connect to the Maybrook? As I recall, the Put ended between Brewster and Southeast.

[Jeff Smith]

Incidentally, WotH is OPEN: https://walkway.org/walkway-alert/

**ALL VISITORS TO WALKWAY OVER THE HUDSON STATE HISTORIC PARK ARE ASKED TO WEAR A FACE COVERING.**

Visiting the outdoors during the COVID-19 outbreak

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) and the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) encourage New Yorkers to recreate locally, practice social distancing, and use common sense to protect themselves and others.

Getting outdoors to walk, jog, hike, ride a bicycle, or visit a park or state lands is a healthy way to stay active, spend time with your immediate household family members, and reduce stress and anxiety while practicing physical distancing. While indoor spaces and restrooms at State Parks and DEC’s public facilities may be closed to prevent community spread of COVID-19, parks, grounds, forests, and trails are open during daylight hours, seven days a week.

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Below are some specifics for State Park visitors:

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Effective Friday, April 24th the following roads around Bear Mountain and Harriman State Park are closed until further notice:

Exit 16 off the Palisades Interstate Parkway
Lake Welch Drive to St. John’s Road
Tiorati Brook Road
Rte. 106 from Kanawauke Circle to Rte. 17
Arden Valley Road
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Exit 19 off the Palisades Interstate Parkway
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Resources: New York State Health Department COVID-19

All Friends of the Walkway events are postponed through the end of May. The Friends will not operate information pavilions or have ambassadors on the bridge until state and local officials declare safe conditions for their operations and return. Additional updates will be posted at walkway.org and on our Facebook page as necessary.

[RussNelson]

That's fantastic! Russ, how does the Put ROW Rail-Trail connect to the Maybrook? As I recall, the Put ended between Brewster and Southeast.

The Maybrook is going to be turned into a rail-with-trail. It was double-tracked at one time. One of the tracks was pulled, and in places the tracks were moved to the other side to improve curves & suchlike. In a few places where the tracks are now in the center, they are being moved back to one side. There will be a few places where the trail has to switch from one side to the other. It's been a few years since I've been there, but it looks like there's going to be a bridge across the active tracks, because the trail going up the Maybrook at that point is on the east side of the tracks.

[robmcalpine]

Isn't the paved rail trail on the West side of the bridge using the old Maybrook ROW paralleling New Paltz Road all the way to just before the village of New Paltz? What happens to the trail from there or does it just end at 299?

[Jeff Smith]

ADMIN: For discussion of railroad history and operations of the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge: https://railroad.net/viewtopic.php?f=91&t=15212