Haines Falls is getting a long-missing sidewalk, and the money to build it just landed. Greene County has secured $731,440 for a 5-foot-wide, ADA-compliant walkway along parts of State Route 23A and North Lake Road, meant to stitch together a break in the Hunter Regional Trail. Don't expect to stroll it anytime soon, though, since construction isn't projected until summer 2028.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the allocation on Oct. 14, according to The Daily Gazette. The sidewalk would run along portions of the north side of Route 23A and the west side of North Lake Road, between Twilight General Store and Haines Falls Auto Center. The paper notes the trail it completes is 11 miles long and links the village of Hunter with Kaaterskill Falls.
Who Pays for What
The project is expected to cost more than $900,000, per the Gazette's reporting. Federal money will cover 80% of that bill, and the state Department of Transportation will cover another 15%. The Gazette reports the money flows from the Federal Highway Administration's Transportation Alternatives Program.
Hunter Area Trail Committee, as relayed by NEWS10 ABC, said the funding will help create the ADA-compliant sidewalk along Route 23A and North Lake Road. NEWS10 reports Haines Falls currently has no sidewalk on Route 23A between the Kaaterskill Rail Trail and the Corina Connector, across from Peace Village. The project aims to let people of all abilities walk and bike safely between trails.
A Long Runway Before Construction
Michelle Yost, the watershed assistance program coordinator for the Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District, estimated construction will begin in summer 2028, following a design and approval process, the Gazette reports. NEWS10 adds that the project needs approval from the state Department of Transportation for a pedestrian crossing, per the committee. The estimate remains just that, an estimate, and officials have framed 2028 as contingent on approval.
Town of Hunter Supervisor Sean Mahoney said the project connects communities, trails, parks and recreational destinations while improving safety and accessibility for residents and visitors, according to NEWS10. He also said it advances the town's long-term vision for a Hunter regional trail system. The town is also preparing for a first phase of ADA improvements to the trail, which NEWS10 says includes tree clearing, surface preparation and smoothing, and grade leveling to meet ADA standards.
The Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District said the two projects complement one another, and Yost said one connects trails accessibly while the other makes the Hunter branch trail usable by people of all abilities. Demand looks real: the Gazette reports an estimated 3,500 people walked the Hunter Regional Trail over Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend, though that figure is an estimate.
One of 35 Projects Statewide
Haines Falls was one of 35 projects statewide in the round, which totaled more than $97 million in federal money, per the Gazette. Transportation Today reports that $52.8 million of the total went to sidewalks and pedestrian and bicycle safety work. The program, it notes, is meant to facilitate nonmotorized travel that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance safety and improve access.
The funding round supported projects proposed by counties, towns, cities and villages across New York, according to the AASHTO Journal. The program backs efforts that promote alternative modes of travel such as walking, biking or hiking. For Haines Falls, that means a short but meaningful link, with a long wait still ahead.
