Rail Trail Closed from Kingston to Hurley

[Kevin]

That is what you will see when you travel the section of rail trail from Kingston to Hurley.

This issue was discussed at the monthly Fats in the Cats meeting at Keegan Ales on Thursday, September 14. Steve Rice brought pictures to show us what had caused the closure, and he talked about what needed to be done to correct the situation (i.e. engineer). Here is the quick story, feel free to correct/add information as appropriate:

Basically, Central Hudson owns the R.O.W. (Right of Way) that the trail is on, and becuase it is "closed", they have the right to permanently revoke trail access unless there is a plan in place to fix the erosion and drainage issues. The problem is that the City of Kingston seems to have lost interest in this section of trail; this critical link from the City of Kingston to the paved section in Hurley.

As a club, we can continue to support the trail work days. Please ask for the next day if you don't know when it is.

Aerial View of the rail trail, which is shown as a red line:


Area of severe washout, headed towards Hurley. There is a culvert here. Most likley, it is blocked and too small, which is why the water went around it:


Looking back towards Kingston. Note the erosion on both sides of the trail, and the Thruway as a reference.


On this section of trail, this is one of two identical bridges. Both are very sturdy and have stone block wingwalls/abutments. Perhaps building a similiar bridge over the above pictured eroded area would be a good solution.


Another area of concern further down the trail, before the power station:


Directly behind the power station, there are a few sections of standing water as well:


And a couple of pictures showing the general existing condition of the trail:

[Tim845]

Do we have any number$ for whats needed? A couple truckloads of gravel?

[bikejunkie]

Let's do what we can! I used this section regularly up until recently. It is a great section to get new people (especially kids) into mountain biking. It's actually my favorate section of rail trail and I would hate to see it lost! . I will donate lots of sweat to this cause!

[g60dude]

I voted no because the amount of money Fats has wouldnt even make a dent into the bad conditions on that trail. I think we could use some money to spread the word about it, like put something in the local newspaper, pamphlets, etc. I'm definitely up for helping when it comes to the sweat portion of it, but financially, I just dont think Fats is capable of doing that much.
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greg

[Kevin]

Thanks for the opinion Greg. I think that this problem probably goes beyond having an uncle dump some dirt in it with his pickup. The city is likley going to want to have a fully engineered wall of some sort in this day of lawsuits and such. My guess is like yours...the project costs for this are going to be pretty high, but as to how high, I have no idea.

If this thread generates enough interest and people generally seem to like the idea of helping, then we can find the right people to contact to see what we can do.

[g60dude]

Ive never ridden back there, but it would be a great addition to the one out in Hurley. Those couple washed out areas, is that a direct result of the Esopus flooding the last couple years?
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greg

[raybag]

I think this is definitely a worthy project for our club to be involved with. Yesterday I e-mailed Russell and asked him his opinion as well. I also mentioned that we might want to contact Sheldon Quimby, our usual Rail Trail contact, to see how we can help. I believe we also have an "insider" in the Mayors office who can maybe have an influence on getting this project started.

As to how we help, I'm not quite sure on that one. I agree with Greg that our funds wouldn't go nearly far enough to cover the whole project but maybe we can make a decent donation to this specific project to get the ball rolling. Getting the word out would also be helpful. What other groups use this trail? Onteora Runners Club? Maybe there are others who can help.

Sweat equity is always a way the club can help but we would have to find out who is running the project and how to help. If that day comes we would need to get out the word and have loads of participation from Fats members.

[bikejunkie]

I agree that this project would far exceed the Fats in the cats budget, but I do feel (as does everyone else) that this is a worthy project. This erosion is a direct result of the flooding last year that allowed people kayak down rt 28.

[BillB3]

I voted yes because I agree that this is something in which we should be involved. As mentioned, club money wouldn't be able to cover construction costs...but we can provide labor, get the word out and anything else they need.

I use the trail monthly with the girlfriend and always suggest it to non-mountain bikers...so let's try to keep it open!

[BillB3]

From Russell...

Dear Mayor Sottile,

I am writing to express concern about the condition of a section of the D&H Canal Heritage Corridor Rail Trail in Kingston. We are looking for your support to appropriate funds and expertise to repair the hazardous conditions which have temporarily closed this section of trail.

Our not-for-profit group, Fats in the Cats Bicycle Club, has serious concerns about this issue. Over the years we have worked closely with the D&H Canal Heritage Corridor Alliance and trail coordinator Sheldon Quimby. We have provided hundreds of volunteer hours to maintain sections of the trail.

Rail trails such as this provide excellent recreational opportunities to youth and adults, promote tourism, and positively impact on people's health. As you probably know, the Hurley Rail Trail which this section connects to, is well-utilized and provides a multitude of opportunities to people in the area.

The current condition of the Kingston section of the rail trail is an embarrassment to our region.

I have attached two recent photographs which display conditions on the D&H Canal Heritage Corridor Rail Trail just west of the NYS Thruway in Kingston.

Thank you for your assistance,

Russell Thorpe
President
Fats in the Cats Bicycle Club

[GoneToTheDogs?]

I received an initial response from the Mayor...no, not the one on the Yeti...the Mayor of Kingston. He said "I will look into it". That's a start. As Steve said at our Sept 14 meeting and as explained to me by Sheldon Quimby, there are fund$ for planning and design. We should be promoting a release of some of those fund$ for emergency repair.

[Kevin]

I wrote a letter to Mayor Sottile tonight, and I will probably just CC it to Steve Finkle, John Bonacic, and Kevin Cahill as well.

Has anyone else does this yet? It took no more than 15 minutes.

Kevin

[pinklewurst (tschneller)]

Sheldon Quimby, who is a member of the trail consevancy that is managing that section and posted the signs, says that the city of kingston has a grant for fixing the trail but it gets complicated due to the Central Hudson easements.
Its not that bad! POACH IT for now, MY GAWD. Just don't stuff your wheel in the one big hole. Its always been a mud hole in the wet seasons.
I voted to put our money where our mouths are.

[BillB3]

Haven't been over there in a while...with warmer weather coming up, got me thinking...did anything ever happen with this? Or is it still "temporarily closed"?

[Kevin]

Still "closed", but progress is slowly being made. Here is cliffnotes version of what is going on:

-Mayor Sottile is in contact with various departments to see what can be done "in house"

-An engineer has been (is being) contacted.

-Money is being sought from Assemblyman Cahill and Senator Bonacic.


The next meeting is in a couple of weeks, so I'll let you know what comes from it.

Take care,
Kevin

[lilmort]

To add a little more info to Kevins' post.... The City of Kingston is trying very hard to move forward with this project.
They've been discouraged by the NYSDOT from using in-kind services as the match (though in-kind services will need to be used to help accomplish this project). Though the amount may not seem like a lot, it's difficult to come up with that much cash. We believe may have a solution. There is a proposed apartment complex to be built on Hurley Ave. Should this complex be approved they will need to pay a recreation fee to the City. This money could be used as our match.
There is also a matter of attaining an easment of property that is currently owned by Ulster Savings Bank (this property may actually be in the process of being sold to someone so we'll have to find out the status of this situation).
Easements need to be sought after for other properties and this is already in the works.
Our committee is working various aspects of this project to move forward.
I hope to have a little more information to offer at the meeting Wednesday.
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HOVERING ABOVE THE TIRE TREADS...& SOMETIMES BENEATH!

[Kevin]

Thanks

[Kevin]

A little over a year has passed since our rail trail inventory. I edited the original post to make it a little more informational/general.

The "washout" is now un-rideable, and someone has constructed this very crude bridge over it Those sticks are probably about 10 feet or so deep, to cushion a fall I presume.

The 4-wheelers have found a way around this obstacle (don't they always) so it is not necessary to traverse this engineering marvel, but regardless...just be careful if you're riding here at night

[Kevin]

Update.

This section of trail is now ridable from Kingston to Hurley.

I don't know who "fixed" it, but it's pretty solid right now. I didn't look close enough to see if the culvert was realigned as well.