THE PJ- WADING RIVER PATH PROJECT IS STALLED AGAIN! WE ARE AT GREAT RISK OF LOSING
FEDERAL FUNDS FOR THIS WORTHY PROJECT! US REP TIM BISHOP worked hard to set aside an additional $8 Million in funds,
and many earlier issues with LIPA were resolved. However, LIPA was insisting on a right to remove the trail when they see
fit, known as a reverter clause, and later came to agree to leave it intact for 25 years, and lease the land to the county
for that time period. However, the federal government does not like the wording of the lease regarding a possible early end to the lease
due to unforseen needs to add new utility infrastructure, and all negotiations have stopped since spring of 2011.
The funding is in serious danger of expiring! Please call up all of the involved parties or Write ASAP.
Once the money is gone, you can forget about any major trails being built in Suffolk for at least another decade. It appears that
Suffolk Executive Steve Levy has abandoned the effort to build this trail, and we hope the new county Executive Steve Bellone will work
to see it through.
The county earlier issued an RFP to begin design work on the trail and a firm was hired, but the funding was stopped until
the major issues were worked out. An agreement in principle for the county to share liability with LIPA was been reached almost two years ago.
Also, the issue of PILOTS was been resolved without requiring the county to spend any more funds. The agreement
basically calls for the county to be liable along the entire width and length of the right of way during daylight hours
when the trail would be open, but only be responsible for the trail itself after dark.
I would like to thank all of the people involved, starting with former LIPA chief Kevin Law, County Executive
Steve Levy, Mike Cosel, NYS Senator Ken LaValle, Former Legislator Dan Losquardo, Legislator Sarah Anker and the rest of the Suffolk Legislature, County
attorney Christine Malafi, and all the civic groups, bike groups, CLIMB and anyone else who was in favor of this huge
project. But we need to keep the calls and letters to continue on or IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!
we still do hope it can be resolved soon, and we'll keep trying. Hopefully it will lead to many more such projects as the
Motor Parkway trail network, where a master plan was just completed and released.
Another nearby trail has finally been opened to the public! The first segment which begins on Gnarled Hollow road and heads east over past Old Town Road to an old sandpit is finished, and was formally opened to the public in May 2009. It will eventually connect the Port Jefferson Station area to East Setauket near Renaissance Technologies, following an unused NYDOT right of way for a route 25A bypass that was once planned for the area. There is strong support and little opposition for this project, which should be linked to the Wading River trail. We support all of these trails.
The old LIRR extension from Port Jefferson to Wading River was closed in 1938. It remains relatively intact since it is
currently used by LIPA for a powerline right-of-way. The route is mostly open space, starting just east of Crystal Brook
Hollow road and running to Wading river, about 11 miles or so. You can ride along the route now with a mountain bike,
but it is a little rough and also VERY overgrown in some spots, look out for poison ivy and wasps nests (as I learned
the hard way during a hot August 2007 ride.)
there are still at least 38 vehicle barriers to lift the bike over along the way. A short neglected/abandoned section of pavement exists in one spot,
maybe a half mile long, from an earlier effort to build a path under LILCO management in the early 1980's. It is still possible to ride on this undocumented path.
Most of the old stations and bridges are gone, but there is one stone structure on Woodville road in good condition that
will likely be reused. One or two of the old train stations are used by local businesses. The entire route will be a path
exclusively for bikes, pedestrians, and runners, joggers etc. This will provide a safe and clean facility to exercise and enjoy the
outdoors away from the traffic clogged streets, such as RT 25A.
A short segment was paved behind the old TESLA laboratory site about 15 years ago between North Country road and the
area near John and Miller streets... but it has not been maintained. However, it is still rideable and in decent shape.
Many side trails exist which could link to various communities along the way. It also allows people to get to the Rocky
Point (RCA) state preserve and it's extensive mountain biking trail system. There is sufficient room for a crushed stone
or asphalt paved type path, as well as room for a mountain bike dirt path, along most of the route
We can improve LI by creating a network of recreational trails for bicycles, walkers, joggers,
rollerbladers, and any other non-motorized transportation you can think of. Please consider supporting these goals
so we can avoid getting in the car just to travel a mile to the local park or strip mall. These projects include
creating such trails from Belmont Lake to Babylon Village, a 13 mile trail along Ocean Parkway from Jones Beach to
Captree and eventually Robert Moses Beach, another connecting Otsego to Edgewood Preserve via the old bridge on Commack
and over to the Sunken Meadow parkway greenbelt up to the beach,
an extension of the Bethpage parkway bike path to Syosset, of course this 11 mile route along the abandoned LIRR Wading River
branch, and my personal favorite, restoring the remaining LI Motor parkway, (AKA Vanderbilt parkway) as a recreational
path running from Western Suffolk to Queens, where the bike path already exists. It's often hard to get people motivated to
support these projects, and there is always one local resident who fights it tooth and nail because they
feel an increase in crime will come with the "outsiders" coming through. However, in other areas where such trails
have been built, home values INCREASED and crime decreased, it actually improved the quality of life in the area and
created a park like atmosphere in these areas where it was safe for local children to play away from motor vehicles.
It's much more relaxing and fun when you can go out for a ride or walk and not have to deal with traffic clogged roads,
diesel fumes, inconsiderate motorists and dangerous conditions. The "Ribbon Park" open space concept is one whose time
has come. Please support these plans by checking off the boxes on the form, and speaking in favor of them whenever possible. Anyone interested in supporting any of the bikepath projects should visit the The LI Motorparkway site , The Rail-Trail site,
and The Old Bridgefor more info and let the DOT and
local leaders know of your support!
Use or reuse of facilities such as abandoned roads and railroad rights of way, old bridges, utility routes, parks,
undeveloped lands, abandoned parcels set aside for unbuilt roads, etc need to be considered. Future developments
can be required to set aside greenspaces to eventually be linked together.
Transportation and recreational facilities should be fun to use, safe, encourage participation of more people of all
ages, and be a useful alternative to competing with automobile traffic on existing roads. Please feel free to contact
me with any questions at denisbyrne@yahoo.com or write to your county
legislator about it if possible,
before the land is appropriated for other uses or developed.
LI environment site
CLIMB mountain biking
Hike-LI.com- LI Hiking info
Recent Long Island photos
Motorparkway.net
NYRides Bike Trail Info
