The shovels, held by state and local officials, struggled in the thick gravel stones, but the state agency representatives said the final product will be accessible, smooth and pleasant to travel on. The actual construction will take heavier machinery than shovels.

“There are spiritual shovels ready,” state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said.

He said the rail-trail project is bringing a “derelict corridor … back to life.”

The Adirondack Rail Trail is a 34-mile, multi-use, year-round recreational trail connecting Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, which the state expects will be used heavily by both local and visiting hikers, bikers, cross-country skiers and snowmobile enthusiasts after three construction phases. The state expects final completion in 2025.

State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos speaks at a press conference announcing that work on the Adirondack Rail Trail is underway on Wednesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

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Construction

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Seggos said construction has started, with crews working on both the Saranac Lake and Lake Placid ends — on Station Street in Lake Placid, just west of the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society Museum, and near the Saranac Lake Depot at the intersection of Cedar Street and state Route 86.

He said this will be a “three-season construction.” The work will continue until it “really gets cold,” possibly sometime in December. Then, the state will take the work back up in the spring. Seggos said the state plans to complete this first section of the trail in the fall of 2023.

State Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy said OGS has awarded a $7.9 million contract for first phase construction to Kubricky Construction Corporation, of Wilton. The contract is funded by NY Works, with an additional $225,000 from the state Environmental Protection Fund for construction oversight and inspections, according to a state press release.

For public safety, access to the Lake Placid to Saranac Lake segment of the corridor will be restricted during active construction, according to a state press release. The public will be allowed in the corridor during the winter shutdown period beginning Dec. 19.

This phase also includes construction of a parking area in Tupper Lake, which is anticipated to continue through next year.

The finished trail will be 10 feet wide and topped with crushed stone dust. Moy said the trail will be paved even smoother in portions of the village of Saranac Lake and across bridges.

Carolyn Dunderdale, an engineer with OGS, said the plan is to try to reuse as much stone as possible. Then, workers will grade the trail, bring in layers of new material and top it all off with stone dust.

The state is working on educational signage for the trail and is speaking with members of the St. Regis-Mohawk tribe for information.

In March, the state Department of Transportation transferred state ownership of the corridor to the DEC after working on removing the rails since October 2020.

Acting DOT Region 7 Design Engineer Steve Gagnon said the DOT did the “dirty work” of removing the rails between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid and now the DEC gets to do the “fun work.”

On the rail side, Gagnon said the DOT still plans to construct passenger platforms for the Adirondack Scenic Railroad next year in Tupper Lake, Sabattis and Beaver River, as well as make upgrades to the Tupper Lake Depot. These projects will start in the spring, he said, and are expected to last two years.

Long process

Seggos said the state made a promise to the Tri-Lakes region about the rail trail many years ago and it took endurance to make it happen.

Seggos said the railbed was built in 1892 and operated until 1972. Since then, the corridor had been underused and fell into disrepair.

He remembers as a “young lad” in the governor’s office, nearly 10 years ago to the day, the rail-trail was one of the first things he worked on. He recalled reading an editorial written by former Enterprise Editor Peter Crowley at the time, which described “partisan” division in the editorial pages of the Enterprise, where hundreds of letters to the editor were published, full of accusations and tense debate between trail and train advocates.

“I thought, ‘What the hell? This seems like a good challenge,'” Seggos said.

He saw what he was up against. Now, 10 years later, and a whole lot of debate, litigation, permitting and funding later, he said the DEC finally has the green light.

It got its final permit from the Army Corps of Engineers in October.

There were many, many people and agencies to thank. All the speakers had a long list of folks involved in the project over the years. The project has gone on so long that many of the people named retired before they saw completion.

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Accessible

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Moy pointed out that the smooth trail with a 2% grade will make the trail accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. As a New Yorker mom, she said these are her favorite types of projects.

“The trail is designed to be accessible by people of all abilities to the maximum extent practicable,” according to a state press release.

It’s hard to get into the High Peaks, Seggos pointed out. This makes the wilderness more open for people of all mobilities.

Williams said the trail also has benefits for residents, being an eco-friendly commuter corridor, an alternative to driving.

Saranac Lake village Trustee Rich Shapiro said he’s biked on the well-used Route Verte rail-trails in Canada, where he saw people commuting across towns and every backyard having a bridge to get on the trail.

He said the trail is a way to bike between towns without risking life and limb on the roads.

Shapiro said he is looking forward to getting on a tandem bike with his wife and Franklin County legislator Lindy Ellis and ride to Tupper Lake for lunch.

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Promotion

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Seggos said the state plans to make the rail-trail a “major destination” for visitors. He predicted between 56,000 and 800,000 visitors annually, based on a DEC study.

Seggos said he expects state agencies to do a “substantial amount” of promotion of the rail-trail. More will happen as the completion date nears, and he said the state will work with the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, as well as local government officials.

“Especially Tupper Lake,” Seggos said, “which for many years, I think has not received the promotion that it is due. Now, with this corridor … it gives the change to really showcase what Tupper Lake has to offer.”

Saranac Lake village Mayor Jimmy Williams called the corridor a “long-anticipated … reborn artery” in the Adirondacks. Williams said there are lots of trails around Saranac Lake, but this one is unique because it brings travelers right through the village downtown, where they can easily get off and go to shops and restaurants, or stay the night.

“Rail-trails work for local economies,” Seggos said.

Personally, he said he’s seen the Albany County rail-trail revitalize its corridor’s business, events and communities.

“We know that every dollar spent on a rail-trail is three dollars of health benefits,” he added.

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Maintenance

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Seggos said forest rangers, State Police and local law enforcement will need to keep eyes on snowmobile speeds in the corridor. He also reminded people to treat the trail as their own.

“Pack it in, pack it out,” he said. “Leave no trace.”

There are no set punishments for littering he spoke of, but he said DEC will be doing lots of communication on keeping it clean.

Seggos said the DEC’s goal is to make this trail “last forever” with regular maintenance.

A retired Adirondack Park Agency employee at the event said in his experience, the most common maintenance these rail-trails need is raking leaves in the fall. Seggos called for volunteers to help out with this.