Rail Trail, promenade work set to go to bid
Construction expected to begin in the fall
Kingston expects to go out to bid this summer for construction of the first phase of the Kingston Point Rail Trail, the city’s grant manager said.
Kristen Wilson told the Common Council’s Finance and Audit
Committee on Wednesday that the city had obtained the approvals it needed and would be ready to go to bid on construction of the trail this summer. She said the actual construction is expected to begin this fall.
“There’s essentially 13 projects on the Kingston Greenline,” Wilson said.
“Some of them are managed by the city, some by the county and some are DOT (state Department of Transportation) projects that are part of the Empire State Trail.
“So, the Kingston Point Rail Trail, we received approvals and we’re going to be able to bid that project this summer along with the Hudson Landing promenade. So those are two projects that will go to construction this year.”
The Kingston Point Rail Trail is part of the larger Kingston Greenline project.
The Hudson River promenade is to be built along the western shoreline of the Hudson River, starting at North Street and ending at the promenade just south of John Street.
The first phase of the rail trail would create a 10-foot wide paved pedestrian and bicycle pathway that goes from behind the Rondout
Savings Bank on Broadway down to Garraghan Drive in the city’s Rondout area, Wilson said. She said phase two of the trail would extend the path to the Trolley Museum of New York, but would not be done until next year.
Information about the rail trail and river promenade were provided as part of an overall update on city grants.
The city had previously received a $2.4 million state
grant for the promenade, as well as two state grants totaling $916,667 for the rail trail.
Other grants Wilson highlighted were $100,000 from the Ulster County Transportation Council for a wayfinding plan. She said the project, which is managed by the Transportation Council, would take an inventory of all the existing signs in Kingston and recommend a completely new plan. There would be a public
meeting to discuss that plan later this month, Wilson said.
There was also a $44,959 grant from the state Education Department for the City Clerk’s Office to digitize vital statistics records, such as birth certificates, Wilson said. She said that work has since been completed.
Clerk Carly Winnie said the grant allowed the city to digitize the most recent 50 years of its records.