Construction of the new, approximately one-mile-long mixed-use bike/pedestrian path along the south side of Henry W. DuBois Drive in New Paltz is moving at a steady clip after encountering serious delays back in 2022 and 2023. According to New Paltz Town Supervisor Amanda Gotto, “I was appointed in May of 2024, and that’s basically when we kicked off the construction portion of the project. Currently we are in the heavy part of the construction phase, with milling, grading, installation of new drainage structures, constructing new roadbeds. It looks like a mess right now, but within a few weeks people will begin to see the section from North Oakwood to North Putt Corners paved, which will be exciting.”
The $2.75 million project is being primarily funded by a grant received by the town from the Federal Highway Administration. Eighty percent of the costs will be covered by the federal government and the town will be responsible for the remaining 20 percent. The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for implementation of the project. The Whispering Pines Development Corporation of Vails Gate was awarded the construction bid and Creighton Manning Engineering, LLP of White Plains is overseeing the project for the town.
After several go-rounds with neighbors and the DOT, the plans were drawn and redrawn, and eventually the town was able to get approval for one ten-foot-wide mixed-use path — as opposed to two ten-foot-wide paths on both sides of the existing street, which would have cost a fortune and cut into people’s rights-of-way. There were also constraints like shale beds and utility poles that prohibited the path from even spanning a full ten feet in several places. The town has rights-of-way on either side of the road, but the centerline of the road is now moving two to three feet north: another added element to the entire project. “They’ll need to enlarge the road on the northern side, which is also a large project in and of itself,” Gotto said.
The town sought funding for this project through several grant applications because it will help to create more nonmotorized infrastructure for people to bike, run and walk safely on an alternative route to Main Street that still runs through both the town and village, close to the center of both the commercial districts. Just as importantly, it will serve as a connector path to the existing Hudson Valley Rail Trail to the Wallkill Valley Rail (WVRT) by way of Henry W. DuBois via North Putt Corners Road, westward to North Chestnut Street. It also forms part of the 750-mile Empire State Trail: a nonmotorized trail that begins in Battery Park and will make its way upon completion all the way to Buffalo. Proponents of the project claim that shared-use paths provide safe and easy access for alternative modes of transportation that reduce emissions and traffic congestion and encourage healthy, active lifestyles.
Gotto said that she understands that the construction is causing traffic delays on DuBois and congestion on Main Street. “It’s a really big project. I know it can be very inconvenient for folks. It’s also very dusty and torn up right now, with only one lane, so people need to drive with caution.” She encouraged residents to consider using other side roads to travel to their destination or leave themselves more time, adding that when using DuBois, they still “need to stop at the stop signs — and please be careful of the workers and flaggers.”
Thus far, the road has only had to be closed in small sections for limited days, and the supervisor noted that it has never been closed after the construction workers leave for the day, around 4:30 or 5 p.m. “We’ve tried to limit any road closures, as we know that the buses and mail trucks and residents need to utilize the road.” She said that updates are posted on the Town of New Paltz website daily to let people know what to expect, particularly if there are any road closures: www.townofnewpaltz.org/henry-w-dubois-road-improvement-project/news/henry-w-dubois-road-project-updates.
The project’s completion deadline, according to the supervisor, is November 22. The timeline on the town’s website has the project going through mid-December. Either way, they are in a rush against weather and those unknown hiccups that come with most large construction projects. “There have been issues with telephone poles and fire hydrants, and then very bureaucratic things that require someone to sign off on something, but that person is no longer in the position, so we have to build a new line of communication,” Gotto said. Nevertheless, the project is still running full steam ahead. Once the eastern portion is paved, work will begin on North Manheim Boulevard, going west to Chestnut Street by Stewart’s and just past the turnoff to Moriello Pool and Park.
“I think that this is going to be a wonderful resource for our community,” said Gotto. “It will allow a child to walk to school or to the pool safely. There are plenty of families and students and walkers and cyclists who all would utilize that corridor if there were a pedestrian path, and soon there will be.”
Like Gotto, village mayor Tim Rogers is a huge proponent of the project, and the two municipalities worked collaboratively to make this happen, as well as other green infrastructure projects. He said that in his estimation, the community will be very happy when it’s done. “It will be used by a large cross-section of pedestrians and cyclists. It will be like River-to-Ridge: well-used and enjoyed. The community will be grateful once it is in place, and will have a hard time remembering how we endured life before its construction.”
When the design was first being penned by Alta Planning, neighbors along Henry W. DuBois Drive expressed concerns about their property rights and fears of increased traffic, safety issues and for their mature trees and shrubs that would need to be taken down. According to the plans, approximately 30 mature trees and shrubs will have to be removed. Supervisor Gotto said that trees and shrubs will be replanted and will be tailored to the property-owners’ desired plantings. That will not take place until the end of the construction phase. “We’re not going to leave a raw roadway,” she said. “Each replanting is individualized to the landowner.”
Various barriers are being used throughout the path to separate it from the road, depending on which section, according to Gotto. “There will be some with granite curbs, and others with a fencelike structure, and then other portions that will have a five-foot-wide green space between the path and the road.”
The village has already put in a paved path that connects Chestnut Street to the WVRT between the auto body shop and Village Pizza, creating a new connection for the Empire State Trail that is now open in New Paltz. This connector was predominantly funded by a $350,000 grant from the Hudson River Valley Greenway.
Mayor Rogers sees this mixed-use path as part of a larger effort by the town and the village to provide infrastructure that encourages and allows people to get out of their cars. “Financial support, provided by New York State, underscored the importance of the project in advancing our regional trail networks and promoting sustainable transportation options,” he said. “Completion of the 150-foot public trail segment from Henry W. DuBois to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail now provides a safer and direct connection from the Henry W. DuBois and North Chestnut intersection. Collaboration between the village, the property-owner at 85 North Chestnut and Stewart’s exemplified the community’s commitment to innovative solutions and public/private partnerships to address infrastructure needs.”
To learn more about any of these projects, go to www.townofnewpaltz.org or www.villageofnewpaltz.org.
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