Rails to trails project not a total loss as 85 miles of track will be refurbished
Written by RT&S Staff
Eighty-five miles will be upgraded for scenic railroad rides.
Lake Placid was home to the 1980 Winter Olympics, which produced the “Miracle on Ice” when team USA defeated the Soviet Union en route to hockey gold. Some might say the Lake Placid region, and the state of New York, is still handing out miracles. In a plan that has been years in the making, the Rails to Trails project in the Adirondacks will proceed.
The plan has faced several litigation obstacles. The Adirondack Scenic Railroad filed a suit in 2016 accusing the plan was put together in an arbitrary and capricious manner. The suit also said the state’s economic analysis supporting Rails for Trails contained inaccuracies and was handled by a firm that was in support of the conversion. Furthermore, land ownership issues along the rail route were not adequately addressed. A Franklin County judge agreed with the Adirondack Scenic Railroad in 2017 and the plan was put on hold until now.
The 119-mile railroad route runs between the Utica area and Lake Placid. The $44.8 million project consists of the removal of 34 miles of track for a multi-use trail while 85 miles of line will be upgraded and will still be used for scenic railroad rides.
The New York DOT will handle the track refurbishment and the project should be finished in 2021. The multi-use path project will be handled in phases and is not expected to be done until 2023.
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