$3.96 million in state funding will help create trails
SHANDAKEN, N.Y. » Ulster County will use nearly $4 million in state funding to help convert 2.5 miles of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad corridor into a multi-use trail with pedestrian bridges, according to a press release from the Ulster County Executive’s Office.
The $3.96 million in funding will be used to promote environmentally-friendly modes of travel on the corridor from Highmount to Belleayre Beach in the town of Shandaken, the release said. It will be matched by $990,000 in funding from the county.
The project is based on a Shandaken U&D Feasibility study completed in 2021, the release said. It will implement Phase 1 of the Shandaken Rail Trail, creating a 10- to 12-foot wide stone dust trail from Big Indian to Highmount along the former Ulster & Delaware right of way.
According to the release, the project offers an opportunity for users to access the Shandaken Wild Forest area with its network of hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country trails, as well as the adjacent Belleayre Mountainside. It will also act as a regional economic driver, adding a sustainable attraction for users of all abilities within the area, and will also reduce vehicle emissions and mitigate traffic congestion, the release said.
“Ulster County is a statewide leader in investing in our trails and protecting our environment,” County Executive Pat Ryan said in a statement. “This award will bolster the economic growth and environmental initiatives that we’ve seen come through these infrastructure investments.”
The funding for the project comes from the Federal Highway Administration and is administered by the state Department of Transportation, according to the release. Such awards are typically a three-year process, with preliminary and detailed design taking place in the first two years. It is expected that construction activities on the trail will be completed near the end of 2024, the release said.
“The Ulster County Trails Advisory Committee is delighted by Ulster County’s success in securing funding to preserve, restore, and repurpose this historically unique and important sec
tion of the county’s abandoned Ulster & Delaware rail corridor, including the iconic Giggle Hollow Trestle and famed double-horseshoe curve above Pine Hill, Kevin Smith, the group’s chairman, said in a statement. “It’s impossible to overstate the many active recreation/transportation connections and opportunities the Shandaken Rail Trail will make possible between Belleayre Beach, Pine Hill, Belleayre Ski Center, and other New York state lands and trails.”