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Wallkill Valley Rail Trail & Hudson Valley Rail Trail Link Feasibility Study

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Wallkill Valley Rail Trail & Hudson Valley Rail Trail Link Feasibility Study Wallkill Valley Rail Trail & Hudson Valley Rail Trail Link Feasibility Study Prepared for the Southern Ulster Alliance Final Report - August 2011 Revised November 2011, December 2011 Table of Contents Executive Summary 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Project Background and Purpose 1.2 Project Relationship with Other Multi-Use Trails 2.0 Existing Conditions & Needs 2.1 Site Location and Description 2.2 Current Planning Initiatives 2.3 Existing Corridor Conditions 2.4 Environmental Conditions 2.5 Surrounding Land Uses 2.6 Relationship with Existing Transportation Network 2.7 Agency Coordination 3.0 Trail Design Guidelines and Standards 3.1 AASHTO and NYSDOT Guidelines 3.1.1 Shared Roadway Design Guidelines 3.1.2 General Bicycle and Shared Use Path Design Guidelines 3.1.3 Bicycle Boulevard Design Guidelines 3.1.4 Cycle Track Design Guidelines 3.1.5 Roundabout 3.1.6 Intersections 3.1.7 Bridges 4.0 Research & Analysis 4.1 Trail Economic Factors Analysis 4.1.1 Potential Impacts 4.1.2 Economic Benefits Assessment 4.2 Environmental Factors 5.0 Alternatives and Options Considered 5.1 Null Alternative 5.2 WVRT Link Options 5.2.1 Direct from Henry W Dubois Boulevard 5.2.2 Via Mulberry 5.2.3 Via DOT Park & Ride i 5.3 Village Main Street Route 5.3.1 Cycle Track Section 5.3.2 Primary Pedestrian Route 5.4 Henry W Dubois and North Putt Corners Route 5.4.1 Roundabout at Chestnut Street 5.4.2 Bicycle Boulevard Section 5.4.3 North Putt Corners Road Shared Use Path 5.5 NYSTA Bridge Crossing 5.5.1 Utilize Existing – Reconfigure Lanes 5.5.2 Attach to Existing Structure 5.5.3 Stand Alone Pedestrian Bridge 5.6 NY Route 299 Intersections 5.7 NY Route 299 Corridor 5.7.1 Shared Use Path Sections 5.7.1.1 South Side 5.7.1.2 North Side 5.7.2 Crossing of Route 299 6.0 Recommended Implementation Measures 6.1 Recommended Projects Recommended Implementation Project Matrix • North Chestnut Street Park and Ride Lot Improvements and North Chestnut Street Shared Use Roadway • Roundabout at Henry W. Dubois Road and North Chestnut Street • Henry W. Dubois Bicycle Boulevard • North Putt Corners Road Shared Use Path • Roundabout at Putt Corners and NYS Route 299 • NYS Thruway Crossing along Route 299 • Roundabout at NYS Thruway Exit 18 Ramps and NYS Route 299 • NYS Route 299 Shared Use Path and Ohioville Road Intersection 6.2 Trailhead and Parking Locations 6.3 Recommended Trail Design Standards 7.0 Stakeholder Outreach Summary 7.1 Agency Coordination 7.2 Public Information Meeting 8.0 Implementation 8.1 Suggested Project Probable Costs 8.2 Sources of Funding 8.3 Schedule and Suggested Project Priorities ii iii Executive Summary Through the development of a linking trail between the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail and the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, Southern Ulster Alliance communities have an opportunity to create a trail network that is unlike any in New York State. One can envision waking on a sunny morning in New Paltz and jumping onto a bicycle, and after biking for a few minutes through New Paltz and Lloyd, crossing the Walkway Bridge into Poughkeepsie. Once there, you might bike to the Poughkeepsie Rail Station to park your bicycle in your personal locker and hop onto the Metro-North train to complete a commute to an office in Manhattan. On the trail-link commute back home, you might pass families out for a stroll, runners pushing baby carts, and cycling groups training in their team colors. This brief look into the future highlights some of the opportunities that could result from this project, and illustrates that this forward-thinking and attractive system provides for the widest possible range of trail users, both residents and visitors. The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail to Hudson Valley Rail Trail Link, an idea given life by members of the Southern Ulster Alliance, is a complex project that involves routing a trail through the densely populated Village of New Paltz, to the revitalizing Hamlet of Highland. It will provide a convenient way for pedestrian users to visit Main Street in the Village, while at the same time creating a safe off-road path for cyclists and pedestrians to pass through two of the busiest and most congested intersections in Town of New Paltz. The path will cross the New York State Thruway, either by way of the existing bridge (which was not designed for the trail), or by construction of a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the busy highway. The trail will then be routed down Route 299, one of the busiest State roads in Ulster County to a connection with the existing Hudson Valley Rail Trail in the Town of Lloyd. Creation of two roundabouts at the critical intersections could provide benefits to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians; improving safety for all, eliminating the need for a left turn lane on the bridge and allowing space on the bridge for a shared-use path. - 1 - With the help of planners from Ulster County, the Hudson River Valley Greenway and the municipalities of the Town of New Paltz, Village of New Paltz, Town of Lloyd, Town of Gardiner, Town of Marlboro and the Town of Plattekill, the Southern Ulster Alliance was able to progress the idea and prove the feasibility of the trail, while exposing the overwhelming benefits to be gained by the surrounding communities. Nevertheless, barriers to the project will need to be surmounted, requiring the help of a thoroughly committed group of trail advocates to keep the project viable. This feasibility study provides the link between the idea and the construction project. Key components of this link study include: • presenting a review of planning efforts for the trail; • testing the validity of the preferred trail routes; • investigating the existing conditions along the corridor; • evaluating the most suitable trail sections; • providing a breakdown of the Trail Link system into construction phases; • providing concept-level budgets for each Trail Link system component. This report is intended to provide the information and organization needed to take the next step from conceptual idea towards the construction projects that will make the trail link a reality. The report ultimately provides a database of information to draw from and ‘tear-out’ summaries for each of the future construction project that can form the basis for funding assistance requests. The Projects The link is broken down into eight distinct projects, each of which could be funded as a stand-alone project under any number of parks and recreation, trail, or highway funding programs. The projects are: - 2 - 11 22 33 44 77 55 66 88 1. North Chestnut Street Park-and-Ride Lot Improvements and North Chestnut Street Shared-Use Roadway 2. Roundabout at Henry W. Dubois Road and North Chestnut Street 3. Henry W. Dubois Bicycle Boulevard 4. North Putt Corners Road Shared Use Path 5. Roundabout at Putt Corners and NYS Route 299 6. NYS Thruway Crossing along Route 299 7. Roundabout at NYS Thruway Exit 18 Ramps and NYS Route 299 8. NYS Route 299 Shared Use Path and Ohioville Road Intersection In addition to the list of projects and construction budgets, the feasibility study will evaluate potential trail design standards and distill that list down to the most appropriate standards for the projects. Standards for trail design, signage, traffic calming, trailheads, parking, comfort and transitions are provided. One of the most important accomplishments of this feasibility study is the agency coordination conducted beginning shortly following the project kick-off. It is extremely valuable to have representatives from the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), Ulster County Highways and Ulster County Planning, and local municipalities discussing potential routing and design solutions during the development of solutions that can meet the objectives of the trail, while satisfying the other objectives of improved traffic function, pedestrian safety improvements, and highway corridor aesthetic improvements. Projects 4, 5, and 6 are the most costly and since they are the key to accomplishing the trail crossing over the NYS Thruway Bridge on Route 299, they are recommended as the highest priority. The projected cost for the entire list of projects is just under $11M in 2014 dollars and could be completed by 2017. - 3 - 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Project Background and Purpose The Southern Ulster Alliance (SUA) is a voluntary collaboration of five municipalities including the Towns of New Paltz, Gardiner, Lloyd, Marlboro, and Plattekill; and the regional chamber of commerce, founded in 1998 with the following mission: “To create a structure for regional cooperation and economic development that is broadly based and inclusive and that has within it a public process that will lead to the implementation of the goals, ideas and policies established by the membership of the Alliance.” In 2006, with the financial assistance from the Hudson River Valley Greenway, the SUA completed a “Southern Ulster Trails Report” as a regional approach to the design and planning of recreational paths for non-motorized transportation methods, such as walking and biking. One of the main priorities listed in this report, was the creation of a “connection trail” to join two existing “Designated Greenway Trails”, namely the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, which is located in the Town of Lloyd and the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, which is located in the Towns of Gardiner, Rosendale and New Paltz, and the Village of New Paltz. Both rail trails are multi-use paths which can accommodate hiking, biking and horseback riding; and offer amenities for the physically impaired.
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