New 37-Mile Rail Trail Proposed for Lewis County
A 20-year Rail Trail debate has been renewed in Lewis County, potentially paving the way for a new 37-mile recreational trail.
Guest blog by Phil Brown. Photos by Watertown Daily Times
Lewis County will hold a public meeting on November 9 to answer questions on a proposal to remove 37 miles of railroad tracks to create trails for biking, hiking, and other uses.
The county reached an agreement to purchase the tracks from the Genesee Valley Transportation Company on October 11, according to the Watertown Daily Times.
County Manager Ryan Piche will discuss the purchase at next week’s meeting in the Lowville Academy High School auditorium. It starts at 6 p.m.
The county has wanted for years to acquire the unused rail lines, even raising the possibility of eminent domain. Genesee Valley Transportation had been reluctant to sell, but an agreement was reached after negotiations last month. The county will buy three stretches of rail line owned by two of GVT’s subsidiaries, the Lowville & Beaver River Railroad and the Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern Railroad.
Lewis County straddles the Adirondack Park’s western border, though the proposed rail trails lie just outside the park.
Surveys by Jefferson Community College have found that a large majority of the region’s residents favor converting the rail lines into trails, according to the Watertown Daily Times. However, some people who own land along the tracks oppose the creation of a multi-use trail. The biggest fear of farmers is that ATVers will leave the trail and ride through crop fields and pastures. Last summer the opponents put up bright-orange “No Rail Trail” signs in the region.
Piche has said the county will work with landowners to address their concerns. One possibility is that motorized use will be restricted to certain segments of trail.
The conversion of the rail lines to trails is likely to take many years. “The railroad is being purchased by the county, but no definite plans are in the works yet,” Jackie Mahoney, the county’s director of recreation, forestry and parks, told BikeADK. “A full structural analysis will have to be completed, then public hearings for proposed use will be set.”
The regional rails-to-trails movement has been bolstered by a planned 34-mile Adirondack Rail Trail connecting the communities of Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Lake Clear and Tupper Lake. The first section of which, 9-miles between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, is expected to open in the fall of 2023.
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