Stairs could ease access to Midtown trail
The designers of the Midtown Linear Park are considering the additions at two overpasses that cross the walkway.
The designers of the Midtown Linear Park, a paved trail connecting Kingston Plaza with Midtown, are considering putting stairwells at two overpasses to create easier access to the trail.
Deputy Ulster County Planner Christopher White, the project manager, said Thursday that stairs are being considering for the Albany Avenue and Elmendorf Street overpasses.
The stairs would eliminate the need for users of the trail to make their way down embankments from elevated points.
On Wednesday, Ulster County officials presented a preliminary plan for a 0.8-mile stretch of the linear park, which sits atop the old Ulster & Delaware Railroad right-of-way.
The Midtown Linear Park is part of the Kingston Greenline, a joint effort by the Kingston Land Trust, the city of Kingston and Ulster County to develop a system of trails, linear parks and complete streets within the city.
The trail, already partially paved, provides pedestrians and bicyclists in Midtown direct access to Uptown shopping and transit resources without the need to use Midtown streets.
“It has already begun to transform a blighted corridor ... into a safer, more convenient place for walking, hiking, biking and other healthy activities,” Deputy Ulster County Executive Marc Rider said at the Wednesday event.
“We are literally stitching together an entirely new transportation network,” Mayor Steve Noble said. “If it wasn’t for our county’s leadership, this section of our infrastructure would still be in total disarray, and a dumping ground.”
The Midtown Linear Park is expected to be completed in 2020.