Hudson Valley Rail Trail
Encyclopedia
The Hudson Valley Rail Trail is a paved 4 miles (6.4 km) 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 Poughkeepsie Bridge. Controlled by a variety of railroads throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the bridge was damaged and became unusable after a 1974 fire. By the 1980s the corridor's then-owner, Conrail, had routed all rail traffic in the region north through Selkirk
, and was eager to relieve itself of the bridge and adjoining rights-of-way. In 1984, it sold the entire property for one dollar to a convicted felon who did not maintain it or pay taxes on it. The section of the corridor west of the Hudson was seized by Ulster County in 1991 and transferred to the town of Lloyd.
During the 1990s, a broadband utility
seeking to lay fiber optic
cable paid the town to pass through the former corridor. The town used part of its payment to pave the route and open it as a public rail trail in 1997. The creation of the trail was supported by a local Rotary club
, which built a pavilion along the trail. The pavilion includes an antique caboose
, which was donated to the association which maintains the trail. While the trail originally ended at Route 44
–55
, it was extended eastward between 2009 and 2010, intersecting Route 9W
and continuing to the Poughkeepsie Bridge. The extension was paid for by stimulus funding
.
The bridge, now a pedestrian walkway, connects the trail with the Dutchess Rail Trail
to the east, creating a 30 miles (48.3 km) rail trail system that spans the Hudson. The trail is expected to be extended west, where it will border Route 299
. As it passes through Highland, the trail is carried by several bridges, connects to four parking areas, and traverses a wetlands complex
.
that comprised the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route
. It ran east through the hamlet of Highland
in the town of Lloyd
over the Hudson River
via the Poughkeepsie Bridge
. Highland has historically been Lloyd's largest population center. The corridor was, throughout its history, operated by the Central New England
, Philadelphia and Reading
, New Haven
, Erie
, Ontario and Western
, Lehigh and New England
and Penn Central railroads. Under the ownership of Penn Central, traffic along the bridge route was discouraged in favor of a northern route
through Selkirk
; the use of newer technology at the Selkirk yard
to improve efficiency was cited as the primary reason. At one point the Poughkeepsie corridor had been the primary thoroughfare for freight being shipped to New England
, and the New Haven yard at nearby Maybrook
was once "the largest railroad yard east of the Mississippi River
". Rail traffic over the Poughkeepsie Bridge stopped entirely after the bridge was damaged in a 1974 fire.
After Penn Central went bankrupt, Conrail
assumed control of the corridor, but opposed renovating it due to budgetary concerns. Rail traffic up to the bridge continued until March 1982, when Conrail received permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission
to completely cease using the corridor; the tracks were removed the following year. Donald L. Pevsner, a transportation lawyer from Florida
, secured a first-refusal option
for purchasing the corridor to create restaurants and tourist attractions, but allowed it to expire on November 1, 1984 because he could not secure financial backing; he claims that Conrail expressed a desire to sell the corridor, at that point a potential liability
, to the "first warm body" that would buy it. Conrail immediately sold the Poughkeepsie Bridge and adjoining rights-of-way on November 2, 1984 for one dollar
to Gordon Schreiber Miller, a convicted bank fraud
ster who "seemed uncertain what he wished to do" with the corridor. Miller did not pay taxes, fines or insurance on the corridor, or maintain it. He went bankrupt in 1990 and sold the corridor for one dollar to his friend Vito Moreno, who also did not pay taxes on it. In 1991, Ulster County
seized the right-of-way west of the Poughkeepsie Bridge and gave over 5 miles (8 km) of the abandoned corridor to the town of Lloyd.
were sold off by the county shortly before ownership of the remaining corridor was transferred to Lloyd and converted to a rail trail
. Roughly $400,000 in funding to convert the corridor to a trail was acquired through an easement
between the town of Lloyd and a broadband utility
for the laying of fiber optic
cable, though only $70,000 was needed to pave the trail. The trail remains a right-of-way for the fiber optic line. The development of the trail was supported by Highland's Rotary club
, which has since built several utilities for trail users, including a pavilion, garden and parking lot. The corridor was officially opened as a trail in 1997. Initially 2.5 to 3 mi (4 to 4.8 km) long, it stretched from Riverside Road in the west to Vineyard Avenue in the east; the removal of an overpass
on Vineyard Avenue, as well as a blockage under a bridge on U.S. Route 9W
, prevented the trail from continuing east to the Poughkeepsie Bridge.
Lloyd received a $224,000 state and federal grant in the summer of 2000 to create such a connection. Additional funding for the eastern extension was provided in November 2006, when the state granted $1.5 million to construct a bridge and a tunnel, and to complete the path. Lloyd received a $7,500 grant in 2002 to extend the trail west to the Black Creek Wetlands Complex; the town received an additional grant for $20,000 in May 2005 to complete the Black Creek extension.
In 2006, a local businessman donated an antique caboose
to the trail Association, which was put up beside the pavilion. Built in 1915, it was "one of [...] the first cabooses made of steel instead of wood". An October 2007 study of paint chips from the caboose found the paint contained lead
. The study was released less than a week before a town supervisor
election in Lloyd; one of the candidates, Ray Costantino, was president of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail Association, and one of the early proponents of the trail. He claimed the timing of the study was politically motivated. Costantino subsequently became town supervisor, and the caboose had its paint replaced and was repaired at a total cost of $4,500. A second caboose, dating to 1926, is located at the trail's parking lot on Haviland Road.
Lloyd's police department became the first in the county to purchase a Segway
, in 2007, for the express purpose of patrolling the rail trail. The trail has been occasionally vandalized. Lloyd's Police Chief
felt that use of such a vehicle would enable officers to patrol the trail for longer periods of time, and that it could also be used to patrol other areas of the town. Seven officers were expected to use the Segway, which contains an automated external defibrillator
, and can go as fast as 12+1/2 mph.
In March 2009, Ulster County received almost $21 million in stimulus funds
. The funding included a $3.16 million project to complete the trail between Lloyd and the Poughkeepsie Bridge. Some funding for the architectural and engineering aspects of the project came from the reserve fund created after the town's fiber optic deal. The Rail Trail Association also received a $1,500 grant from a public-benefit corporation, the Hudson River Valley Greenway, to print brochures. Construction for the 1.28 miles (2.1 km) section was underway by that September. In March 2010, a portion of New Paltz Road was closed pending the replacement of a bridge going over the trail.
The official groundbreaking
ceremony took place on May 4, 2010, and the trail was expected to be completed by October. The bridge over Vineyard Avenue was opened to pedestrian traffic on July 16, 2010. The only remaining obstruction was the placement of a bridge carrying Mile Hill Road over the trail, which was expected to be completed in August. The crossing at US 9W had been remedied; the new section let "users to cross either over or under" the highway. To celebrate the opening of the Vineyard Avenue bridge, Route 44
–55
throughout Highland (which includes
Vineyard Avenue) was shut down for the day. The eastern expansion does not deviate from the original route of the corridor, and officially opened on October 2, 2010.
Between June 23 and 24, 2011, parts of the trail were spray-painted
with "dozens of [...] words and images". Volunteers who removed some of the graffiti
believed that different types of paint were used. Lloyd's highway superintendent noted similar vandalism elsewhere in the town, and Town Supervisor Ray Costantino stated that the incident would cause Lloyd residents to feel a personal connection to the trail and become outraged.
Future expansion to the trail includes a 1 miles (1.6 km) extension to the west, to State Route 299
. Lloyd has received a $1.93 million state grant to complete the western expansion, which will reach New Paltz by 2012. Both Lloyd and New Paltz have received grants to establish a connection between the Hudson Valley Rail Trail and the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
. There has never been a direct link between the Poughkeepsie Bridge and the Wallkill Valley corridor. Other plans include the development of commercial zones
along the trail, and a project to connect the trail to Illinois Mountain
.
, and connects to the Dutchess Rail Trail
to the east, creating a contiguous 30 miles (48.3 km) rail trail system that spans both Ulster and Dutchess
counties.
The Hudson Valley trail continues 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) west from the Poughkeepsie Bridge to a bridge over Mile Hill Road, then another 0.1 mile (0.160934 km) to a crossing at US 9W. At the 1 miles (1.6 km) mark, the trail reaches a bridge over Vineyard Avenue. About 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the bridge, the trail crosses under New Paltz Road. Almost 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) from this road, the trail reaches the Black Creek Wetlands Complex. Black Creek is one of the two "principal streams" to run through Lloyd; it bisects the town as it flows north and pools in a pond. The wetlands complex itself is important for water drainage. Part of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
region 3, the complex contains Plutarch Swamp and one of the region's largest dwarf shrub
bogs, hosting a variety of rare species. The complex also includes the Swarte Kill, Lloyd's second major waterway. The trail continues an additional 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) past the beginning of the complex to Tony Williams Park.
There are four parking areas along the trail, by Haviland Road, Commercial Avenue, the Rotary pavilion, and at Tony Williams Park. The trail is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and 4 miles (6.4 km) long; it is paved with asphalt
and suitable for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, roller blading, and cross country skiing.
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...
in the town of Lloyd
Lloyd, New York
Lloyd is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 9,941 at the 2000 census.The Town of Lloyd is located in the eastern part of Ulster County. U.S. Route 9W runs north and south in the eastern part of the town. The concurrent U.S. Route 44 and NY 55 pass through the...
in Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, stretching from 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...
through the hamlet of Highland
Highland, Ulster County, New York
Highland is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,060 at the 2000 census.Highland is a community in the Town of Lloyd, on U.S. Route 9W. Routes 44 and 55 run through it as well...
. The trail was originally part of the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route
Poughkeepsie Bridge Route
The Poughkeepsie Bridge Route was a passenger train route from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts, via Baltimore, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, a rail corridor
Transport corridor
A transportation corridor is a tract of land in which at least one main line for transport, be it road, rail or canal, has been built...
that crossed the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
via the Poughkeepsie Bridge. Controlled by a variety of railroads throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the bridge was damaged and became unusable after a 1974 fire. By the 1980s the corridor's then-owner, Conrail, had routed all rail traffic in the region north through Selkirk
Selkirk hurdle
The Selkirk Hurdle is the term used by urban planners, railroad employees, politicians and others to describe the route that must be taken by freight trains traveling between New York City or other points in downstate New York and points in the United States west of the Hudson River...
, and was eager to relieve itself of the bridge and adjoining rights-of-way. In 1984, it sold the entire property for one dollar to a convicted felon who did not maintain it or pay taxes on it. The section of the corridor west of the Hudson was seized by Ulster County in 1991 and transferred to the town of Lloyd.
During the 1990s, a broadband utility
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
seeking to lay fiber optic
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
cable paid the town to pass through the former corridor. The town used part of its payment to pave the route and open it as a public rail trail in 1997. The creation of the trail was supported by a local Rotary club
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, which built a pavilion along the trail. The pavilion includes an antique caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
, which was donated to the association which maintains the trail. While the trail originally ended at Route 44
U.S. Route 44 in New York
U.S. Route 44 in the state of New York is a major east–west thoroughfare in the Hudson Valley region of the state. Its entire length is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation, with the exception of the Mid-Hudson Bridge, which is maintained by the New York State Bridge...
–55
New York State Route 55
New York State Route 55 is a state highway in southern New York, running from the Pennsylvania state line at the Delaware River in Barryville to the Connecticut state line at Wingdale...
, it was extended eastward between 2009 and 2010, intersecting Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
and continuing to the Poughkeepsie Bridge. The extension was paid for by stimulus funding
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
.
The bridge, now a pedestrian walkway, connects the trail with the Dutchess Rail Trail
Dutchess Rail Trail
The Dutchess Rail Trail is a 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....
to the east, creating a 30 miles (48.3 km) rail trail system that spans the Hudson. The trail is expected to be extended west, where it will border Route 299
New York State Route 299
New York State Route 299 is a short but important state route entirely within Ulster County, New York, United States. Centered around its interchange with the New York State Thruway outside New Paltz, it provides access from that road to the popular recreational attractions of the Shawangunk...
. As it passes through Highland, the trail is carried by several bridges, connects to four parking areas, and traverses a wetlands complex
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
.
Declining rail usage
The Hudson Valley Rail Trail is part of the former rail corridorTransport corridor
A transportation corridor is a tract of land in which at least one main line for transport, be it road, rail or canal, has been built...
that comprised the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route
Poughkeepsie Bridge Route
The Poughkeepsie Bridge Route was a passenger train route from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts, via Baltimore, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. It ran east through the hamlet of Highland
Highland, Ulster County, New York
Highland is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,060 at the 2000 census.Highland is a community in the Town of Lloyd, on U.S. Route 9W. Routes 44 and 55 run through it as well...
in the town of Lloyd
Lloyd, New York
Lloyd is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 9,941 at the 2000 census.The Town of Lloyd is located in the eastern part of Ulster County. U.S. Route 9W runs north and south in the eastern part of the town. The concurrent U.S. Route 44 and NY 55 pass through the...
over the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
via 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...
. Highland has historically been Lloyd's largest population center. The corridor was, throughout its history, operated by the Central New England
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...
, Philadelphia and Reading
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
, New Haven
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
, Erie
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
, Ontario and Western
New York, Ontario and Western Railway
The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 when it was ordered liquidated by a US bankruptcy judge. The O&W holds the distinction of being the first major U.S...
, Lehigh and New England
Lehigh and New England Railroad
The Lehigh and New England Railroad was a connection from northeastern Pennsylvania towards the Poughkeepsie Bridge across the Hudson River. Originally planned as a continuous line east to Boston, plans were later cut back to a section west of the river....
and Penn Central railroads. Under the ownership of Penn Central, traffic along the bridge route was discouraged in favor of a northern route
Selkirk Subdivision
The Selkirk Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. State of New York. The line runs from Selkirk northwest to Amsterdam along a former New York Central Railroad line. At its southeast end, at Selkirk Yard, the Selkirk Subdivision becomes the Castleton Subdivision...
through Selkirk
Selkirk, New York
Selkirk is a hamlet in the town of Bethlehem, Albany County, New York. It is located south of the city of Albany, it is an suburb of that city....
; the use of newer technology at the Selkirk yard
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
to improve efficiency was cited as the primary reason. At one point the Poughkeepsie corridor had been the primary thoroughfare for freight being shipped to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, and the New Haven yard at nearby Maybrook
Maybrook, New York
Maybrook is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,084 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined...
was once "the largest railroad yard east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
". Rail traffic over the Poughkeepsie Bridge stopped entirely after the bridge was damaged in a 1974 fire.
After Penn Central went bankrupt, Conrail
Consolidated Rail Corporation
The Consolidated Rail Corporation, commonly known as Conrail , was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeast U.S. between 1976 and 1999. The federal government created it to take over the potentially profitable lines of bankrupt carriers, including the Penn Central Transportation Company and...
assumed control of the corridor, but opposed renovating it due to budgetary concerns. Rail traffic up to the bridge continued until March 1982, when Conrail received permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
to completely cease using the corridor; the tracks were removed the following year. Donald L. Pevsner, a transportation lawyer from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, secured a first-refusal option
Right of first refusal
Right of first refusal is a contractual right that gives its holder the option to enter a business transaction with the owner of something, according to specified terms, before the owner is entitled to enter into that transaction with a third party...
for purchasing the corridor to create restaurants and tourist attractions, but allowed it to expire on November 1, 1984 because he could not secure financial backing; he claims that Conrail expressed a desire to sell the corridor, at that point a potential liability
Attractive nuisance doctrine
In the law of torts, the attractive nuisance doctrine states that landowner may be held liable for injuries to children trespassing on the land if the injury is caused by a hazardous object or condition on the land that is likely to attract children who are unable to appreciate the risk posed by...
, to the "first warm body" that would buy it. Conrail immediately sold the Poughkeepsie Bridge and adjoining rights-of-way on November 2, 1984 for one dollar
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
to Gordon Schreiber Miller, a convicted bank fraud
Bank fraud
Bank fraud is the use of fraudulent means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently representing to be a bank or financial institution. In many instances, bank fraud is a criminal offense...
ster who "seemed uncertain what he wished to do" with the corridor. Miller did not pay taxes, fines or insurance on the corridor, or maintain it. He went bankrupt in 1990 and sold the corridor for one dollar to his friend Vito Moreno, who also did not pay taxes on it. In 1991, Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
seized the right-of-way west of the Poughkeepsie Bridge and gave over 5 miles (8 km) of the abandoned corridor to the town of Lloyd.
Conversion to trail
Parcels of the right-of-way between Lloyd and the neighboring town of New PaltzNew Paltz, New York
New Paltz is a town in Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston, New York. New Paltz contains a village also with the name New Paltz...
were sold off by the county shortly before ownership of the remaining corridor was transferred to Lloyd and converted to a rail trail
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...
. Roughly $400,000 in funding to convert the corridor to a trail was acquired through an easement
Easement
An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...
between the town of Lloyd and a broadband utility
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
for the laying of fiber optic
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
cable, though only $70,000 was needed to pave the trail. The trail remains a right-of-way for the fiber optic line. The development of the trail was supported by Highland's Rotary club
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, which has since built several utilities for trail users, including a pavilion, garden and parking lot. The corridor was officially opened as a trail in 1997. Initially 2.5 to 3 mi (4 to 4.8 km) long, it stretched from Riverside Road in the west to Vineyard Avenue in the east; the removal of an overpass
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
on Vineyard Avenue, as well as a blockage under a bridge on U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
, prevented the trail from continuing east to the Poughkeepsie Bridge.
Lloyd received a $224,000 state and federal grant in the summer of 2000 to create such a connection. Additional funding for the eastern extension was provided in November 2006, when the state granted $1.5 million to construct a bridge and a tunnel, and to complete the path. Lloyd received a $7,500 grant in 2002 to extend the trail west to the Black Creek Wetlands Complex; the town received an additional grant for $20,000 in May 2005 to complete the Black Creek extension.
In 2006, a local businessman donated an antique caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
to the trail Association, which was put up beside the pavilion. Built in 1915, it was "one of [...] the first cabooses made of steel instead of wood". An October 2007 study of paint chips from the caboose found the paint contained lead
Lead paint
Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead, a heavy metal, that is used as pigment, with lead chromate and lead carbonate being the most common. Lead is also added to paint to speed drying, increase durability, retain a fresh appearance, and resist moisture that causes corrosion...
. The study was released less than a week before a town supervisor
Town supervisor
Town Supervisor is an elective legislative position in New York towns. Supervisors sit on the town board, where they preside over town board meetings and vote on all matters with no more legal weight than that of any other board member .Towns may adopt local laws that allow them to provide for an...
election in Lloyd; one of the candidates, Ray Costantino, was president of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail Association, and one of the early proponents of the trail. He claimed the timing of the study was politically motivated. Costantino subsequently became town supervisor, and the caboose had its paint replaced and was repaired at a total cost of $4,500. A second caboose, dating to 1926, is located at the trail's parking lot on Haviland Road.
Lloyd's police department became the first in the county to purchase a Segway
Segway PT
The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing transportation machine invented by Dean Kamen. It is produced by Segway Inc. of New Hampshire, USA. The name "Segway" is a homophone of "segue" while "PT" denotes personal transporter....
, in 2007, for the express purpose of patrolling the rail trail. The trail has been occasionally vandalized. Lloyd's Police Chief
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
felt that use of such a vehicle would enable officers to patrol the trail for longer periods of time, and that it could also be used to patrol other areas of the town. Seven officers were expected to use the Segway, which contains an automated external defibrillator
Automated external defibrillator
An automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of...
, and can go as fast as 12+1/2 mph.
In March 2009, Ulster County received almost $21 million in stimulus funds
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
. The funding included a $3.16 million project to complete the trail between Lloyd and the Poughkeepsie Bridge. Some funding for the architectural and engineering aspects of the project came from the reserve fund created after the town's fiber optic deal. The Rail Trail Association also received a $1,500 grant from a public-benefit corporation, the Hudson River Valley Greenway, to print brochures. Construction for the 1.28 miles (2.1 km) section was underway by that September. In March 2010, a portion of New Paltz Road was closed pending the replacement of a bridge going over the trail.
The official groundbreaking
Groundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
ceremony took place on May 4, 2010, and the trail was expected to be completed by October. The bridge over Vineyard Avenue was opened to pedestrian traffic on July 16, 2010. The only remaining obstruction was the placement of a bridge carrying Mile Hill Road over the trail, which was expected to be completed in August. The crossing at US 9W had been remedied; the new section let "users to cross either over or under" the highway. To celebrate the opening of the Vineyard Avenue bridge, Route 44
U.S. Route 44 in New York
U.S. Route 44 in the state of New York is a major east–west thoroughfare in the Hudson Valley region of the state. Its entire length is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation, with the exception of the Mid-Hudson Bridge, which is maintained by the New York State Bridge...
–55
New York State Route 55
New York State Route 55 is a state highway in southern New York, running from the Pennsylvania state line at the Delaware River in Barryville to the Connecticut state line at Wingdale...
throughout Highland (which includes
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
Vineyard Avenue) was shut down for the day. The eastern expansion does not deviate from the original route of the corridor, and officially opened on October 2, 2010.
Between June 23 and 24, 2011, parts of the trail were spray-painted
Spray painting
Spray painting is a painting technique where a device sprays a coating through the air onto a surface. The most common types employ compressed gas—usually air—to atomize and direct the paint particles. Spray guns evolved from airbrushes, and the two are usually distinguished by their size and the...
with "dozens of [...] words and images". Volunteers who removed some of the graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
believed that different types of paint were used. Lloyd's highway superintendent noted similar vandalism elsewhere in the town, and Town Supervisor Ray Costantino stated that the incident would cause Lloyd residents to feel a personal connection to the trail and become outraged.
Future expansion to the trail includes a 1 miles (1.6 km) extension to the west, to State Route 299
New York State Route 299
New York State Route 299 is a short but important state route entirely within Ulster County, New York, United States. Centered around its interchange with the New York State Thruway outside New Paltz, it provides access from that road to the popular recreational attractions of the Shawangunk...
. Lloyd has received a $1.93 million state grant to complete the western expansion, which will reach New Paltz by 2012. Both Lloyd and New Paltz have received grants to establish a connection between the Hudson Valley Rail Trail and the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is a rail trail and linear park that runs along the former Wallkill Valley Railroad rail corridor in Ulster County, New York. , it stretches from Gardiner through New Paltz, crossing the Wallkill River as it reaches Rosendale...
. There has never been a direct link between the Poughkeepsie Bridge and the Wallkill Valley corridor. Other plans include the development of commercial zones
Commercial district
A commercial district or commercial zone is any part of a city or town in which the primary land use is commercial activities , as opposed to a residential neighbourhood, an industrial zone, or other types of neighbourhoods...
along the trail, and a project to connect the trail to Illinois Mountain
Marlboro Mountains
The Marlboro Mountains, sometimes Marlborough Mountains, are a group of hogbacked mountains arranged in a 25 mile long ridge extending from Newburgh, New York to just south of Kingston, New York. Considered to be part of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians, the mountains, which reach elevations...
.
Route
The east–west trail begins at the Poughkeepsie Bridge, by Haviland Road. The 1.28 miles (2.1 km) Poughkeepsie Bridge was opened as a pedestrian walkway in 2009. The bridge is a National Recreation TrailNational Recreation Trail
National Recreation Trail is a designation given to existing trails that contribute to health, conservation, and recreation goals in the United States. Over 1,000 trails in all 50 U.S. states, available for public use and ranging from less than a mile to in length, have been designated as NRTs...
, and connects to the Dutchess Rail Trail
Dutchess Rail Trail
The Dutchess Rail Trail is a 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....
to the east, creating a contiguous 30 miles (48.3 km) rail trail system that spans both Ulster and Dutchess
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...
counties.
The Hudson Valley trail continues 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) west from the Poughkeepsie Bridge to a bridge over Mile Hill Road, then another 0.1 mile (0.160934 km) to a crossing at US 9W. At the 1 miles (1.6 km) mark, the trail reaches a bridge over Vineyard Avenue. About 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the bridge, the trail crosses under New Paltz Road. Almost 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) from this road, the trail reaches the Black Creek Wetlands Complex. Black Creek is one of the two "principal streams" to run through Lloyd; it bisects the town as it flows north and pools in a pond. The wetlands complex itself is important for water drainage. Part of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
region 3, the complex contains Plutarch Swamp and one of the region's largest dwarf shrub
Subshrub
A subshrub or dwarf shrub is a short woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a similar term.It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting...
bogs, hosting a variety of rare species. The complex also includes the Swarte Kill, Lloyd's second major waterway. The trail continues an additional 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) past the beginning of the complex to Tony Williams Park.
There are four parking areas along the trail, by Haviland Road, Commercial Avenue, the Rotary pavilion, and at Tony Williams Park. The trail is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and 4 miles (6.4 km) long; it is paved with asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
and suitable for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, roller blading, and cross country skiing.
See also
- Rosendale trestleRosendale trestleThe Rosendale trestle is a continuous truss bridge and former railroad trestle in Rosendale Village, a hamlet in the town of Rosendale in Ulster County, New York. Originally constructed by the Wallkill Valley Railroad to continue its rail line from New Paltz to Kingston, the bridge rises above...
– another instance in which Conrail sold a bridge and adjoining rights-of-way for one dollar