ROTTERDAM — A portion of the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail will close next week so the state’s Department of Transportation can install a longer tunnel that passes under a rail bridge at the end of Leggiero Lane.
The $1.28 million upgrade will extend the tunnel that currently passes under the CSX tracks that the state rehabbed in early 2021 as part of an $8 million project that also saw a new tunnel installed under the PanAm Rail tracks at the end of Scrafford Lane.
Construction is expected to begin Nov. 8, and the trail will reopen early next spring.
“DOT is preparing to install a new, longer tunnel underneath the rail tracks at the end of Leggiero Lane in Rotterdam Junction as part of the Empire State Trail that will enhance mobility and safety as well as flatten the grade for trail users,” Bryan Viggiani, a spokesman for the agency, said in an email.
The Empire State Trail is a sprawling network of trails that runs 750 miles across the state, connecting the tip of Manhattan to the Canadian border and linking Albany to Buffalo. The trail was completed in late 2020.
Plans also call for straightening a crosswalk that’s part of the trail across nearby Rynex Corners Road, according to Viggiani.
“A detour will be established for trail users along Route 5S between Leggiero Lane and Route 160 once work is underway,” he said.
Schenectady County, which issued a notice of closure earlier this week, is recommending that eastbound travelers take Rynex Corners Road to Route 5S to Leggiero Lane. Those traveling westbound should take Leggiero Lane to Route 5S to the Empire State Trail crossing during construction.
Earlier this year, a 1.65 stretch of the trail between Mabie Lane and Leggiero Lane was closed for repaving. The $190,000 project was covered mostly by state and federal highway aid, leaving the county to pay just $9,500.
Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: [email protected] Follow him on Twitter: @ChadGArnold.
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