Greenburgh Applies for a Rte. 119 Bike Land

The town of Greenburgh has submitted a grant to New York State that could lead to the construction of a bicycle/pedestrian path along Route 119 from the South County and North County trail to the Mario Cuomo bridge. If the grant is approved and if the path is built cyclists and pedestrians will be able to walk/bicycle from the Bronx (South County Trail) to Rockland and from Putnam (North County trail) to Rockland safely without having to worry about cars.

I’m an avid cyclist -got my start in politics in 1973 lobbying for the first bicycle path in Westchester (Bronx River Parkway bike path). And, when I was a County Legislator lobbied successfully for the county to purchase the old Putnam Railroad which is now the South and North County trail. This is the most exciting bicycle path/pedestrian path that I have ever worked on. I’d like to give credit to Garrett Duquesne, Commissioner of Planning for the town of Greenburgh. He’s been working days, nights, weekends on this grant application.

One of the reasons that makes the Town of Greenburgh a great place to live is the Town’s park system, which is comprised of over 630 acres of land providing active and passive recreational opportunities. Some of the larger parks in the Town have walking and hiking trials within them. Residents of the Town of Greenburgh also have direct access to major regional trailways. Two examples are the North/South Country Trailway and the Bronx River Pathway. Both are multi-use paths and are great for walking, biking, jogging, etc., and run north-south making connections beyond the Town. The North/South County trailway is actually part of the larger NYS Empire State Trail (750 miles connecting NYC to Canada and Buffalo NY).

 Today the Town of Greenburgh applied for a federal Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant. If awarded, the Town, in partnership with the Villages of Elmsford and Tarrytown will have the resources ($2,000,000) necessary to obtain the services of a Transportation Engineering Consultant  who will prepare surveys, environmental studies, and design drawings associated with future dedicated bike/pedestrian improvements and complete street construction for a portion of NYS Rt. 119 connecting the Empire State Trail (South County Trailway – Hudson Valley Greenway Trail) to the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Bridge Path. If the RAISE Planning Grant is received, the funds would be used to get the project “construction-ready” and position the Town and its partners to apply for subsequent RAISE or other USDOT grants for actual construction funding.

 A finalized project is envisioned as a dedicated bicycle/pedestrian path along Rt. 119 (in each direction going with the flow of traffic) connecting the Empire State Trail (South County Trailway – Hudson Valley Greenway Trail) to the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Bridge Path. Grant award notifications are expected at the end of June this year. I feel confident that the Town has a very competitive application and that the project will have significant benefits for residents.

 Trail and park connectivity is important both locally and regionally. If you have ideas on how to improve park and trail connectivity in the Town please feel free to email me. PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor