25. August 2010 by Kevin.

08-14-10

 Mile Hill road, at the RT overpass, is now open. The road is newley paved and the new guard rails are in place. At Commercial Ave., in the village of Highland,the ROW has been graded and aligned with the east end of the old (phase 1) section of the rail trail.There is now a contiguous trail up to the new bridge over Vineyard Ave. The area for the new parking lot has also been cleared and graded, with stakes defining the lot perimeter. I suspect this will be the first area to be paved providing an improved access to the existing RT.

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17. August 2010 by Kevin.

08-08-10

As it was the weekend,I would ride the old ROW RT-under-construction to Maloney Rd. This would provide me a bit of respite from the hot summer sun and bypass several hills-from-hell as well. I would also be able to see what was going on, construction wise, on the ROW. The ROW forms a strip of woods through the still mostly open farm fields. The ROW, therefore, is mostly hidden from view. As I rode the first section to Titusville Rd.,I had noted several new drain culverts. On a previous ride along this section, a large corugated metal pipe was being installed. I had hoped during today’s ride, the work for this would be finished and the
 pipe would be covered. On that previous ride I had to go off trail a bit to go around the open trench for the new pipe. I had seen a number of “PROTECTED SITE” signs in the vicinity. This,the fact that where the pipe crossed is dry (at least this time of the year) and the way the pipe extended a bit from the ROW without a concrete culvert,all led me to think this pipe may be a “critter crossing” tunnel to allow small semi-aquatic creatures, such as turtles, to traverse under the ROW from one side to the other.

the still at-grade ROW crossing of Titusville Rd looking north - August 2010

I had just taken a picture at the still-at grade Titusville crossing when a woman riding an ATB crossed the county highway from the south side. She was closely followed by several pre-teen children riding child sized ATB’s. I had quipped “I see I am not the only one disregrading the trail closed signs” “Mother Goose”
 continued north with her “goslings” following behind her. I continued south on the not-yet-a-railtrail. Up ahead I saw the boom for what I had thought, at that moment, a large crane to be used for placement of the new bridge over Maloney Rd. I had become familiar with this type of crane on caterpillar treads, known as a
 ”crawler crane”,during the construction of the Walkway. The 2 used for the Walkway construction had become a part of the Highland-Poughkeepsie ”skyline” for a year. As I got closer to what I had thought was a “crawler crane”, was in fact, a “pile driver”. There was a trench spanning the width of the ROW but there were heavy steel plates to allow vehicles, or heavy equipment, to cross. I rode the temporary side access down to Maloney Rd. at the crossing where a new bridge is being built.

  The south side concrete retaining wall / support for the new bridge was still clad in forms. On the north side though, the forms had been mostly removed. In similar fasion to the new tunnel under Mile Hill Rd. for the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, a faux stone block casting was used. However,a gray tinting was used for the concrete. The official DC website for this rail trail, and the Harlem Valley RT, mention the new above grade crossings at Titusville Rd. and SR 376 (near Brookmead Plaza) and the new replacement bridge here at the Maloney Rd. crossing. However, the website does not mention anything about a replacement bridge for the original above grade crossing at Diddell Rd.

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12. August 2010 by Kevin.

08-01-10

the east gate as it appeared in October, 2009  note the construction barrels at the right side of the photo

construction area north side of the east gate - the new concrete landing for the yet-to-be stairway June 25,2010

Ever since the grand opening weekend,October 2009, there has been that not-yet-finished under construction area at the north corner of the east gate. I had thought during my rides on the Walkway on a weekeday, I would see a construction crew finishing whatever it was that was left unfinished when the Walkway was opened to the public. I was out on the Walkway almost at the very end of 2009, and still there was that unfinished area at the north corner of the east gate. With the start of the 2010 season,this unfinised area seemed to be a permanent part of the Walkway. Then, near the end of June, I had noticed something going on at this corner of the east gate.There was a new concrete pad for something as yet determined. I did not yet know what was to be in this area. All was revealed in this Sunday’s local newspaper,the Poughkeepsie Journal, what was to be where this new concrete pad was made. The newspaper article header said it all “Walkway Market,stairs to debut” In addition to the new stairs, there is to be a farmers market every Wednesday at the east end, in the City of Poughkeepsie, from 3 PM to 7PM

the new stairs leading down to Washington Ave.

06-25-10

Before this date there were signs notifying those that use the WOTH parking lots at either end, there would be a fee imposed for use of said parking lots efective as of this date. I had always though it a bit odd that there was no fee for parking when the Walkway opened last year. Most state parks,here in New York, charge a fee for parking. One of the neat things about riding a bicycle to one of New York’s state parks, is that there is no fee for cyclists, unless of course one is on a tour and the park has campgrounds,then said cyclist would pay a per night fee for a tent site. To those bitchn’ about the new parking lot fee at the Walkway,I say GET A BIKE! I am sure Fred Schaeffer would agree with me.

Fred Schaeffer’s Dutch bicycle - given to him by the Dutch government as part of the Henry Hudson Quadricentenial celebration in 2009

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