July 20, 2017
| Albany, NY
Community Invited to Weigh in at Critical Upcoming Public Meetings
Proposed Enhancement of Albany-Hudson Electric Trail Section Will Provide New Recreational Opportunity from the City of Rensselaer to the City of Hudson
The Hudson River Valley Greenway invites local leaders, members of the public, trail groups,and interested organizations to attend one of two important public information meetings to seek input on the creation of the proposed Albany-Hudson Electric Trail, a vital segment of the new Empire State Trail. The meeting dates and locations are:
Tuesday,August 8th, 2017
6:00pm - 8:00 pm
Columbia High School Auditorium
962 Luther Rd
East Greenbush, NY 12061
Thursday,August 10th, 2017
6:00pm - 8:00 pm
Ichabod Crane High School Auditorium
2910 Route 9
Valatie,NY 12184
The Albany-Hudson Electric Trail is a proposed 35-mile bicycling and pedestrian“rail-trail” path, running from the City of Rensselaer to the City of Hudson. The proposed trail route runs through Rensselaer County (City of Rensselaer and Towns of East Greenbush,Schodack, and Nassau) and Columbia County (Towns of Chatham, Kinderhook,Stuyvesant, Stockport, and Greenport; Villages of Valatie and Kinderhook). The Trail will be 10 to 12 feet wide and surfaced with asphalt in more developed areas, and stone dust in lower use sections. Appropriate treatments will be installed at all road crossings to provide safe trail use. This project is fully funded as part of the larger Empire State Trail initiative.
At the public information gathering, members of the Hudson River Valley Greenway will:
- Discuss the project’s goals, opportunities, and schedule.
- Provide a detailed description of the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail’s proposed 35-mile route.
- Release a draft Albany-Hudson Electric Trail Concept Plan for public review and comment.
- Provide a forum to answer questions and receive comments from the community.
These information meetings are the first step in what will be an ongoing process to secure input on the development of the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail. The Hudson River Valley Greenway anticipates completing all Trail design, permitting, and environmental review steps by the fall of 2018. Trail construction is slated to start in the spring of 2019, with full Trail completion in 2020.
As part of the promise to invest and build infrastructure to support the economy, New York State is creating the Empire State Trail, which when completed in 2020 will create a 750-mile trail bike and walking pathway from New York City to Canada and from Albany to Buffalo. Once completed the Empire State Trail will be the largest multi-use trail in the nation.
The Hudson River Valley Greenway is a unique state-sponsored program established by the Greenway Act of 1991. More than 84% of municipalities within the Greenway area have designated themselves as “Greenway Communities.” The program is designed to encourage projects and initiatives related to the intersecting goals of natural and cultural resource protection, regional planning, economic development, public access, and heritage and environmental education. It provides technical assistance and catalytic grant funding for planning, water and land trails, and other projects that reinforce these goals. In keeping with the New York tradition of home rule, the Greenway program has no regulatory authority and participation by municipalities in Greenway programs and projects is entirely voluntary.