| Project Status (Updated September 2019) |
The Saratoga Associates design for the Kingston Connectivity Project is complete. The City completed several rounds of edits to the design report document for approval by the NYSDOT, which was granted in the spring of 2018. Final approvals were given by OPRHP that allow the City to advertise the bid. The bid was advertised in July 2018, and the City awarded the bid in September 2018. Construction, beginning in November 2018 and estimated to be completed in August 2019, will consist of a paved rail trail from the intersection of Jansen Ave. and East Chester St. to the intersection of Garraghan Drive and 9W at Rondout Gardens. It will include trailheads at Jansen Ave. and East Chester St., at the intersection of Delaware Ave. and Murray St., and at Garraghan Drive and 9W. An informational meeting on the project and construction schedule was held on November 1, 2018. Project construction was completed and the trail was opened to the public on September 6, 2019.
The Kingston Land Trust (KLT), the City, and the County continue to develop a Kingston Greenline Management Plan, which the KLT began with funds from the Land Trust Alliance grant.
Regular construction updates were posted below as the information becomes available.
| 10/29/2018 |
Merritt Construction will begin mobilizing some equipment to the site, and a 40 cubic yard dumpster will be placed near the Maple Street crossing. Merritt will begin removing ties from the bridges near the Rondout Gardens. There may be some temporary closures of Garraghan Dr. and Rondout Dr. while construction is taking place. The community will be informed of temporary road closures. |
| 11/15/2018 |
Merritt is working along the rail trail and will be there regularly, but not on Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week. The railroad ties have been removed from both bridges, and the bridges have been secured with orange safety fence to protect the public. The railroad ties have been staged near the basketball courts, and Merritt will be hauling them to the disposal site shortly. The crew is grading from Garraghan Drive to Delaware Ave. |
| 11/26/2018 |
Merritt has begun grading work on the E. Chester Street trailhead. The crew started work there this morning. The plan is to grade through the tunnel from the E. Chester side. Merritt will be focusing on draining the area through the tunnel. Last week the crew stopped grading work at Delaware Ave. The trail has been graded (block by block) from Delaware Ave. to Murray St. Currently, the trail ends are secured with orange safety fence to deter the public from entering the trail construction zone. |
| 12/3/2018 |
Merritt will continue to grade along the trail from behind Rondout Savings Bank down to the tunnel. Progress of the grading work has slowed due to the depth of the organic material through this stretch of the trail. Merritt and the engineers are working on developing an alternative approach to handle stormwater here since it cannot be drained as previously designed due to unanticipated field conditions. Work on the drainage system will begin at the end of the week. |
| 12/17/2018 |
Merritt Construction will be taking a break from construction activities this week. The trail has been graded, and trail closed signs have been posted. The tunnel drainage is complete. A lighting test was completed in the tunnel on Saturday, December 15th by the City and the Kingston Land Trust to determine the best lighting design for the tunnel. |
| 7/10/19 |
Although it may appear so, the trail is still not officially open. Final installations, cleanup, and plantings are not yet complete. Decking on the two lower bridges are not installed. On the upper sections, the trail has been paved and permeable pavers have been installed at the trail heads. Benches, trash receptacles, and bollards have all been installed, as well, at the upper trail heads. The trail will be completed by September 2019. The City is not yet maintaining the trail as it is still considered an active construction site, and it is under the responsibility of the contractor. |
| 9/6/2019 |
The trail was substantially complete and opened to the public on September 6, 2019. Merritt Construction and the City continue complete final tasks and details on the trail. The City in concert with the Kingston Land Trust has created a draft Kingston Point Rail Trail Management Plan and will continue to monitor maintenance and other needs on the trail. Please utilize the City's 311 System to report maintenance and other concerns about the trail. |
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