As the forces behind the effort to turn the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge push to get the job done while the recently rechristened 2009 Hudson River Quadricentennial celebration is still going on next summer, they cleared an administrative hurdle last week.
According to Walkway Over the Hudson, the not-for-profit which has been shepherding the project so far, the comprehensive final design report for the project was released and accepted by the state last week. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is serving as the lead agency for the State Environmental Quality Review Act-mandated review of the project; once it is done, the state agency will take over the day-to-day operation of the walkway, including, wrote Thomas Lyons, the office’s director of resource management, “staffing, operating costs, and maintaining the trail features and associated public facilities.”
The 119-page report includes a review of technical details about the bridge, opened in 1888 and used continuously as a train conduit until a fire in 1974 closed it for good, and the building project. It includes artist renderings of what the pedestrian walkway will look like when it is expected to open in September 2009 – think a white boardwalk-type experience with benches, banners and vendors, a bike path running down the middle and periodical panels cut into the floor so those with no fear of heights whatsoever can admire the 19th-century engineering – and 196 public comments with responses collected at a public meeting on the project held at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel in January.
“The many varied comments, questions and concerns expressed by the public have helped to shape and improve the Walkway project as reflected in this final design report,” stated Walkway Over the Hudson chairman Fred Schaeffer in the release. “It just demonstrates the broad level of community involvement and excitement that this project continues to generate.”
A perusal of the report reveals some interesting tidbits about the project, estimated to cost about $25 million when it is all said and done. (Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s 2008 budget includes some $8 million for the project and Albany is expected to pony up a similar amount in 2009; the state has already pledged $655,000. That leaves as much as $7.5 million to be raised from other sources.) There is some talk of hazardous materials – the paint, for instance, is about 10 percent lead, some asbestos abatement will have to be done as the dangerous substance is found in the tar used liberally on the structure – but no sign of the potentially cancerous PCBs have been found. There will also be, the report states, the ability for emergency vehicles to get on the bridge in the event of something going wrong. There are no plans, however, for high fencing on the bridge which, while discouraging potential jumpers, would mar the spectacular view. A new four-foot-six-inch handrail will be installed and, like on the other Hudson River bridges, suicide prevention call boxes with direct links to local police will be put in.
The report, compiled by Albany-based firm Bergmann Associates, also paints the Walkway as a potential economic boon. Of the $25 million price tag, $9.25 million is expected to be spent on firms in Ulster and Dutchess and 95 percent of the total cost is expected to be spent on New York state firms. The Bergmann report calls for some 157,669 local visits and 110,000 visits from out-of-towners to the bridge every year; those visitors’ spending money in the area is expected to generate more than 250 new jobs and $21 million in sales in Dutchess and Ulster counties alone and an additional 155 jobs and $12.6 million elsewhere in the state. Dutchess and Ulster will enjoy $730,000 in additional tax revenues; the state as a whole will take in $600,000.
The report also sheds light on access points. The easiest and the one that will be done by 2009 is that on the Highland side, which can be accessed via Haviland Road, off Route 9W. The parking area will be able to hold 12 vehicles and have four handicap spaces, with additional on-street parking on Haviland Road for about 40 more spaces. On the Poughkeepsie side, it is envisioned that an ADA-compliant elevator and staircase will be built near Washington and Talmadge streets. Visitor parking will be created as well. If the money works out, a second elevator is planned for the Poughkeepsie waterfront area at North Water Street.
Some comments suggested a “green” aspect to the project. Several commentators suggested solar power for the lighting, which is “being evaluated,” and one brought up the possibility of installing electricity-generating wind turbines underneath the bridge deck. Apparently, that suggestion has not been taken up.
Many comments from those living near the bridge access points brought up privacy concerns and asked for fencing. No dice. The report: “There are no plans for a privacy screen at this time.” There will be security cameras, though, and police patrols “as necessary,” and the design team offered to meet with affected residents.
Some comments brought up the fact that in the past, donors had put in $100 apiece to have custom-engraved rail ties on the bridge. The response in the report: “The money donated for the bridge plants was used for preliminary bridge studies. The Walkway Over the Hudson has a record of the contributors and is in the process of listing these donors on its Web site at www.walkway.org. Additional means of acknowledging these donors for their foresight and support are being discussed.”