Committee gives feasibility study to Town Board

For simple trips between Cold Spring and Garrison, residents could trade cars for bikes or walking shoes, if Philipstown creates a 4 1/2-mile path, according to a feasibility study delivered to the Town Board.

But the boon to a cleaner environment and more outdoor access comes at a cost: about $8.1 million.

Three alternatives (shown with broken blue lines) for a southern section of the proposed path in Garrison: None would be easy.
Three alternatives (shown with broken blue lines) for a southern section of the proposed path in Garrison: None would be easy.

The 129-page report, prepared by consultants from the Albany-based Weston & Sampson with the Philipstown Trails Committee, outlines a path paralleling Route 9D, the Metro-North train tracks and the Hudson River.

After receiving the document at a May 4 meeting, Supervisor John Van Tassel suggested the board postpone its review until later this year. “There’s some other trail that’s going on currently that I think has got people’s attention,” he said, referring to the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail between Cold Spring and Beacon.

The study, funded by state and federal grants, stems from a 2017 initiative by the Philipstown Community Congress, which conducted a survey in which residents ranked a town trail system as a priority. The group evolved into the Trails Committee, which became a town advisory panel in 2022.

At the meeting, Councilor Jason Angell described the Trail Committee’s work so far as “a massive and monumental effort.” Now Philipstown must “get down into the nitty-gritty and find some funding and do the next stage of work,” he said.

Given the expenses involved, the study proposed building the path in four stages and recommended a preferred option for each. In Cold Spring, the route would use village sidewalks, pass the Putnam History Museum on Chestnut Street, join Route 9D and proceed to Foundry Brook.

At Foundry Brook, it would cross over a pedestrian bridge (yet to be built) and continue south, using Route 9D right-of-way land and, perhaps, existing Boscobel estate trails, to reach Indian Brook Road and the small, now-closed parking lot at Warren Landing Road, which leads to Constitution Marsh.

The third segment would run from Indian Brook Road to Philipstown Park. The study does not pinpoint a definitive route, noting two possibilities proved unfeasible and a third presents challenges. For the latter, the path would wind beneath the Indian Brook vehicle bridge over land owned by the state or St. Basil Academy, and reconnect with Route 9D at the southeastern end of the St. Basil property.

The study noted that the state parks department, while supportive of the path, expressed concern about protecting ecologically sensitive areas at Indian Brook Falls and Constitution Marsh. St. Basil Academy, a residential school, also raised questions about security for its students.

The final segment extends between Philipstown Park and central Garrison. The path would follow the west side of Route 9D; cross at the traffic signal at the Garrison School; continue to the Desmond-Fish Public Library; use a crosswalk created at the Route 9D intersection with Route 403; and proceed south to the Philipstown Recreation Center. The study said that although Route 9D can be busy in this stretch, the speed limit is lower and the right-of-way wide enough to accommodate pedestrians and bicycles.

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Armstrong was the founding news editor of The Current (then known as Philipstown.info) in 2010 and later a senior correspondent and contributing editor for the paper. She worked earlier in Washington as a White House correspondent and national affairs reporter and assistant news editor for daily international news services. Location: Cold Spring. Languages: English. Areas of expertise: Politics and government

One reply on “Price of Cold Spring-Garrison Path: $8.1 Million”

  1. As a Garrison resident living on Route 9D, this is great to see. In my mind, it would present a significant reduction of hurdles and a more direct process to work with the state Department of Transportation and have a sidewalk/bike lanes added to 9D and run from the Philipstown Rec to the Village of Cold Spring to Little Stony Point. Either way, a low-key trail would be excellent to enhance the movement in our community.

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