Dutchess Rail Trail
Encyclopedia
The Dutchess Rail Trail is a 12 miles (19.3 km) rail trail
that stretches from Poughkeepsie east and south to Hopewell Junction
. It occupies the right-of-way of the former Central New England Railway
's abandoned Maybrook Line
.
Construction was initially set to begin in July 2007. Three of the four phases of the trail are now open making for a 2.5 mile stretch from Morgan Lake in the Town of Pougheepsie to Overrocker road, and an 8.2 mile stretch from HG Page Hardware to Hopewell Junction. The final segment of the trail is scheduled to start construction in 2012, though is dependent on state funding to construct a bridge over Rt 55..
The Maybrook Line was double tracked, so segments of the rail trail have both a paved and packed dirt trail side by side, allowing for equestrian or running on a softer surface.
There is also an effort underway to get access to a 1 mile stretch of CSX rail, that if developed, would connect the Dutchess Rail Trail to the Walkway Over the Hudson and the Hudson Valley Rail Trail
.
The railroad line was built in 1892 and was cut in half by a fire on the Poughkeepsie Bridge
in 1974. Dutchess County
originally purchased the Maybrook Line right of way to build a limited access highway to Interstate 84
but they didn't want to pay the monetary and environmental costs of connecting from Hopewell Junction to I-84.
41°40′0"N 73°51′18"W
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
that stretches from Poughkeepsie east and south to Hopewell Junction
Hopewell Junction, New York
Hopewell Junction is a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 2,610 at the 2000 census...
. It occupies the right-of-way of the former Central New England Railway
Central New England Railway
The Central New England Railway was a railroad from Hartford, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts west across northern Connecticut and across the Hudson River on the Poughkeepsie Bridge to Maybrook, New York...
's abandoned Maybrook Line
Maybrook Line
The Maybrook Line was a line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad which connected with its Waterbury Branch in Derby, CT and its Maybrook Yard in Maybrook, NY where it interchanged with other carriers...
.
Construction was initially set to begin in July 2007. Three of the four phases of the trail are now open making for a 2.5 mile stretch from Morgan Lake in the Town of Pougheepsie to Overrocker road, and an 8.2 mile stretch from HG Page Hardware to Hopewell Junction. The final segment of the trail is scheduled to start construction in 2012, though is dependent on state funding to construct a bridge over Rt 55..
The Maybrook Line was double tracked, so segments of the rail trail have both a paved and packed dirt trail side by side, allowing for equestrian or running on a softer surface.
There is also an effort underway to get access to a 1 mile stretch of CSX rail, that if developed, would connect the Dutchess Rail Trail to the Walkway Over the Hudson and the Hudson Valley Rail Trail
Hudson Valley Rail Trail
The Hudson Valley Rail Trail is a paved east–west rail trail in the town of Lloyd in Ulster County, New York, stretching from the Poughkeepsie Bridge through the hamlet of Highland. The trail was originally part of the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route, a rail corridor that crossed the Hudson River via...
.
The railroad line was built in 1892 and was cut in half by a fire on the Poughkeepsie Bridge
Poughkeepsie Bridge
The Poughkeepsie Bridge is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York on the east bank and Highland, New York on the west bank...
in 1974. Dutchess County
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
originally purchased the Maybrook Line right of way to build a limited access highway to Interstate 84
Interstate 84 in New York
Interstate 84 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Dunmore, Pennsylvania, to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, in the Eastern United States. In New York, I-84 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Port Jervis to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster...
but they didn't want to pay the monetary and environmental costs of connecting from Hopewell Junction to I-84.
External links
41°40′0"N 73°51′18"W