Next Phase Of Harlem Valley Rail Trail To Be Completed By 2020

The ground was recently broken on the expansion of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail in Dutchess County. The project will extend the trail by eight miles from Millerton to Ancram in Columbia County. This is phase four of the project and will begin at Main Street (Route 44) and will end at Under Mountain Road.

When completed there will be 23 miles of trails from the Wassaic Train Station in Amenia to the Copake Falls area of the Taconic. The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2020.

According to a press release, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail was the first to open in the area back in 1996. The fourth and final phase had been delayed because it will go through some environmentally sensitive areas. As a result, more than 4,000 feet of elevated boardwalks will be installed.

The project is expected to cost $14.7 million, $9.365 of which is coming from the federal government. The remainder will be split between Dutchess County and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

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