Second phase of Adirondack Rail Trail now complete
Adirondack Rail Trail from Saranac Lake to Floodwood opens officially
LAKE CLEAR — Around 60 people, many of them wearing helmets, filled a clearing at a junction of the Adirondack Rail Trail near Little Green Pond on Monday to mark the official opening of the second phase of the 34-mile trail — a former railroad corridor connecting the villages of Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation gathered people there to announce that the portion of the trail from Saranac Lake to Floodwood Road is now complete, and that work on the third phase — from Floodwood to Tupper Lake — is starting immediately. The first phase — from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake — opened last year.
After the press conference on the trail, a cohort of state officials, cycling enthusiasts and bike advocates took a 3.5 mile ride down the trail to eat lunch at Charlie’s Inn in Lake Clear.
Interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said this section of the rail trail is opening early, which he said is the result of good construction weather and a great construction team.
After the officials pedaled away from the junction, Rifenburg Construction foreman Francis Riley and employee Connor Dyn — who have been part of the crew building the $8.75 million section of the rail trail through the woods over the past year — adhered reflective tape to the yellow gates at the intersection. Riley said the work went faster this year that last.
“Just hard work, bud,” he said.
Despite the rainy summer this year, he said the crew didn’t take rain delays and worked in downpours as often as they could. Riley and Dyn both said they are proud of the work and enjoyed seeing so many people enjoying their trail on Monday.
Kubricky Construction of Saratoga County has been awarded the $7.4-million state contract to construction the last phase of the rail trail from Floodwood Road to Tupper Lake.
Sean Mahar was hesitant to give an end date for this section, but said he hopes it is ahead of schedule, too. Completion of this phase has been scheduled for 2025.
Use of this third phase is currently prohibited while work starts on it, for the safety of the public and construction crews. A pause of this prohibition will occur during snowmobile season, from Dec. 9 through March 31.
Mahar said the rail trail fits in to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s new “Get Offline, Get Outside” campaign. The trail ensures the outdoors are accessible for everyone, he said, and he hopes it will bring all sorts of people into “this amazing part of the (Adirondack) Park.”
State Office of General Services’ Executive Deputy Commissioner Tom Nitido said OGS usually does a lot of behind-the-scenes infrastructure in the state. To work on something so public, something he’ll be able to use, was “beyond exciting.”
State Department of Transportation Region 2 Director Linda Lubey said the rail trail is not just a way to get to a destination — it is a destination itself.
She said the DOT is working at improving the train depot at the trail’s end point in Tupper Lake, where the train service to Old Forge begins. The DOT is creating a pathway connecting the depot to the trail, installing a covered area for train passengers and creating a new train maintenance shed there.
Now that this section of the trail is open, the focus turns to maintenance and safety.
The Adirondack Rail Trail Association has a Volunteer Stewardship Agreement with the state. It is currently looking for volunteers at a Sept. 7 “Rail Trail Work Bee” to stain the timber fences along Phase 1 of the trail. Registration is at tinyurl.com/mafzuyxh.
There is a 55 mph speed limit on the trail — and a 15 mph limit in towns — which Mahar said will be enforced by local and state law enforcement. All-terrain vehicles and certain types of e-bikes are also not allowed on the trail.
“We’re always watching,” Mahar said ominously.
But he added that it will actually take users on the trail reporting violations to the DEC or to local law enforcement.
The trail is designed to withstand snowmobile traffic in the winter. Mahar said the DEC will monitor its condition over time, adding that there are plenty of state funding sources for maintenance.
At the many places that the rail trail crosses a road, Mahar said everyone should “be aware.” Cyclists should always yield at the asphalt and watch for cars; motorists should slow down and look both ways when driving through these intersections.
The state is putting more than $30 million into the 34-mile trail. The DEC is predicting between 56,000 and 800,000 visitors to the trail annually.
While the economic impacts promised by the trail are not quantifiable yet, Mahar said he can’t wait to see the metrics and is certain the trail is driving business.
The state does not have an official count of how much use the open portions of the trail have seen so far, but anecdotally, Mahar said he hears it’s been busy. He has friends who have traveled here just to ride the trail.
As state officials rode away from the junction and Rifenburg employees put the finishing touches on some of the gates, Terri Clark and Rob Swartley, from Philadelphia, happened to cycle by and thanked the construction workers.
They have heard about the plans for the Adirondack Rail Trail for years when they visited the Tri-Lakes and this was their first visit where they could finally enjoy it.
“Oh my god. We love it. It brings so much joy to people,” Clark said.
Swartley said any cyclist tired of hassling with cars riding roads can appreciate the trail through the serene and scenic backcountry.
Clark said she’d seen adults riding tricycles earlier in the day.
“I really feel like there is a bicycle for every body,” she said.
As they continued their ride, the two were very excited to see construction workers carting off orange barrels carrying “Trail Closed” signs.