Rail trail construction set to begin
Construction is set to begin this month on the long-planned Kingston Point Rail Trail.
Additionally, Mayor Steve Noble said this week, work is also to on the Hasbrouck-Delaware Parklet project.
An informational public meeting on both projects is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 420 Broadway.
The meeting will be co-hosted by members of the Kingston Land Trust, who also will provide interpreting between English and Spanish.
“The purpose of the meeting is to inform residents, particularly those individuals who live near the project areas, about current and upcoming construction activities and the overall construction schedule for the coming year,” a City Hall press release stated.
The construction of the Kingston Point Rail Trail Phase 1 project is expected to include construction of about a mile of a 10-foot-wide, paved trail from the intersection of Jansen Avenue and East Chester Street to the intersection of Garraghan Drive and U.S. Route 9W at Rondout Gardens.
The trail is designed to provide an accessible pedestrian and bicycle route from the waterfront area to Midtown.
Construction of the first phase is scheduled to be completed by August 2019.
The Hasbrouck-Delaware Parklet is to be a small park that will provide additional access, safety, amenities, and interpretation of the Kingston Point Rail Trail at the Hasbrouck and Delaware avenues intersection.
In this first construction phase, new sidewalks, green space, highvisibility crosswalks, and intersection improvements will be made.
During the second phase of the project — supported by the Kings-
ton Land Trust and scheduled to take place next year — landscape plantings and street furniture will be placed in the small park.
The second phase will also include construction of a staircase from the Kingston Point Rail Trail near the entrance of the tunnel — near the Hasbrouck-Delaware intersection — up to the street level. Parklet construction for the first phase is scheduled to be completed by December 2018.
Both projects are being funded by various grants.
“This is an exciting step forward in our efforts to build a more walkable and accessible city,” Mayor Steve Noble said in a press release. “One of the unique aspects of this project has been the contributions of community members who have volunteered their time and skills
through the design work group facilitated by the Kingston Land Trust.”
“We are so pleased to have been part of the creation of this new green space that will not only give access to the new Kingston Point Rail Trail, which is a section of our partnership initiative, the Kingston Greenline, but will also provide a new gathering space for the neighborhood,” said Julia Farr, executive director of the Kingston Land Trust.
Both the Kingston Point Rail Trail and the Hasbrouck-Delaware Parklet are projects along the Kingston Greenline, which is joint initiative of the Kingston Land Trust, the City of Kingston, and Ulster County. Once complete, the Kingston Greenline will be a network of urban trails, complete streets, and linear parks.
“This infrastructure will connect to a county network of rail trails and become a hub for non-motorized transportation and tourism from four different directions in the county,” the press release says.