$3.5M Awarded to Dutchess County for Harlem Valley Rail Trail

WASSAIC, NY — Dutchess County was awarded $3.5 million to begin constructing the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.

The money, from the Federal Highway Administration and the state Department of Transportation, will expand the Harlem Valley Rail Trail which connects Dutchess and Columbia counties.

Senator Charles Schumer said the project will spur economic development by bringing in tourists and increasing local commerce.

“Just like the Walkway Over the Hudson, a longer harlem Valley Rail Trail will create huge benefits for locals, tourists and businesses,” Schumer said.

“This $3.5 million investment will help launch a major effort to create a new trail that will fuse together 28 miles of trail bringing tourists to the area and providing local residents and bicyclists with new adventures to explore the beauty of the Hudson Valley,” he said.

From the announcement:

Schumer explained that the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) has been working for years to connect more than 46 miles of trail from the Village of Wassaic in Dutchess County to the Village of Chatham in Columbia County. The Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a multi-use pedestrian and bicycle path aimed at providing alternative transportation choices and recreational opportunities along a former railroad corridor that winds through eastern New York State’s Harlem Valley. The trail head begins at its southern terminus, the Wassaic Train Station, which is the northern-most train stop on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Metro-North Railroad (MNRR) Harlem Valley Line. The trail then extends all the way into Columbia County.

The first segment of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail opened in 1996, and it has been growing in size and scope ever since. According to the HVRTA, much of the abandoned rail bed that extends from the Town of Hillsdale north into the Village of Chatham is in various stages of development. As a result, right now, the HVRTA is focusing on fully connecting the 28 miles of initial trail between Wassaic and Hillsdale. Specifically, it is first looking to complete the eight-mile trail connection between the Village of Millerton (located in Dutchess County) and Under Mountain Road in the Town of Ancram (located in Columbia County). Second, it is looking to connect the tunnel crossing of State Route 22, at the intersection of State Route 22, and Orphan Far Road in Columbia County. Lastly, the HVRTA is looking to complete three pedestrian bridges that would connect to the trail at Black Grocery Road in Copake (in Columbia County).

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons by English836.