Ulster County Legislature chair Peter Criswell favors an independent study of the 1.8-mile undesignated section of the county-owned Ulster & Delaware corridor along Route 28.
“The U&D Corridor Committee completed its work with thoughtfulness and care, offering valuable recommendations and proposed resolutions,” said Criswell in a statement. “However, the legislature’s recent vote to postpone a final decision made it clear that significant questions remain — particularly around cost, environmental and sound impacts, engineering feasibility, zoning, land ownership and the proposed rail-trail compromise.”
Legislator Eric Stewart recently called for a vote delay at the Housing and Transportation Committee.
Criswell called for a request for proposals on a corridor development feasibility report, including a cost comparison of trail-only, rail-only and rail-with-trail options, plus a thorough review of existing studies, committee findings, and engineering and environmental assessments.
“This is not a duplication of the committee’s work — it is the next step,” Criswell said. “The committee was charged with engaging stakeholders, understanding the history, and outlining options. This study will deliver a neutral, technical analysis of the fiscal and physical realities of each alternative, helping the legislature make a fully informed, forward-looking decision.”
The Friends of the Catskill Mountain Rail Trail, an advocacy group favoring a trail-only approach, supported the decision.
“We’ve been carefully following the legislature’s action regarding the corridor for more than a decade,” Kevin Smith, coalition chair, said in a statement, “and we recognize the challenging decisions required to reach a resolution regarding its highest and best use.”
The Catskill Mountain Railroad proposes extending its tourist excursions westward 1.8 miles, terminating at a new rail station on Basin Road and connecting there to the Ashokan rail-trail.
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