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Update from Dutchess County
on PHASE 4
Released April 8, 2008
Millerton
north to Undermountain Road
Dear Rail Trail Enthusiast,
Phase IV of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail is being pursued by Dutchess County
Government as aggressively as possible. We are currently in the preliminary design
phase of Phase IV.
The major milestone we are working towards is the completion of a Final Design
Report. The purpose of the Final Design Report is to develop and assess alternatives
and their associated environmental impacts, and select a preferred alternative.
The Design Report is used to satisfy requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) and the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). The
Design Report is also reviewed by NYSDOT as a necessary step within the federal
aid process. Final design cannot begin until these environmental procedures are
completed.
In our efforts to complete the Final Design Report, we are in the midst of several
processes that involve other agencies.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (NYSDEC)
and the Army Corps of Engineers’ (COE) are currently reviewing the November
2007 jurisdictional wetlands submittal. The NYSDEC has conducted a walkthrough
to do some field verification of wetland boundaries and informally has said that
they see no significant delineation issues.
NYSDEC and COE will either agree with the wetland delineations or ask for boundary
revisions. Once the wetland boundaries are confirmed, preliminary design can
proceed, wetland impacts from construction can be quantified and the environmental
assessment of alternatives can be completed.
One of the potential environmental constraints we are facing is the presence
of Bog Turtles, an endangered species, whose habitat is adjacent to, and in some
cases on, the abandoned railway bed. Trail alternatives will be assessed to determine
necessary mitigation and possible additional study regarding Bog Turtle habitat.
The trail design report will also be reviewed by NYSDEC as an Article 24 Freshwater
Wetlands Permit. NYSDEC has the regulatory ability to require mitigations such
as building elevated portions of the trail (e.g. – boardwalk on stilts)
in order to minimize physical disturbances to the wetlands and/or wetland buffers.
NYSDEC may say portions of the wetlands, particularly the Class 1 wetlands, may
not be disturbed at all. In that case, portions of the trail will need to be
re-routed.
We are actively engaged in meeting all requirements to keep the process moving
forward. The timeliness of regulatory agency reviews and the resultant “negotiated” wetland
and endangered species mitigations may have significant impact on the project
schedule, design and construction cost.
We are striving to design Phase IV of the HVRT so the wetlands are a scenic and
valuable feature. The project mitigations for beaver activity, endangered species,
wetlands and wetland buffers are challenging aspects of the work requiring additional
time and effort. The public can be assured this time and effort will be worth
it, as the final trail design of Phase IV will strike a balance between environmental
responsibility and responsiveness to the needs of trail users.
Gregory V. Bentley, P. E. |
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