Westchester County NY Government

County Executive Robert P. Astorino joined  county legislators and other officials at a ground-breaking ceremony on Friday, Oct. 8 to celebrate the beginning of construction on the final major section of the county’s South County Trailway. The event was held at the site on Touissant Avenue, Yonkers, just off Tuckahoe Road.

When completed next year, the 10-foot wide, two-mile segment, extending from Redmond Park to Tuckahoe Road, will complete a paved asphalt pedestrian and bike pathway that runs north from the Bronx border to Rt. 119 in Elmsford.

It will create an almost seamless connection to the North County Trailway, which runs from Mount Pleasant to the Putnam line. Combined, the two trailways, both built mainly along the right-of-way of the old Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad, are 36 miles long. The only remaining work beyond the Yonkers piece is a half-mile “missing link” in the Elmsford/Greenburgh area that requires state approvals; the county hopes to begin work on a detour for this small segment next year and complete it in 2012. 

“Our trailways are a gem within our magnificent park system,” said Astorino. “Annually, thousands upon thousands of walkers and hikers and bike riders use it. According to one survey, more than half of our households said they had used the trailways that year.”

He added, “Beyond providing a path for exercise, these trailways are a visual treat: visitors go through pastoral wooded landscapes and geologic ledge rock formations. They can connect to other great locales in Westchester.”

Joining in praise of the trailway were the county legislators who represent the Yonkers area. 

“This is a milestone moment in the life of the South County Trailway,” said Board Chairman Ken Jenkins. “Community investment projects, such as the rehabilitation of this historic pathway, will create new local jobs, bring diversified economic development and efficiently and effectively maximize private and public benefits.”

A similar sentiment was expressed by Legislator Gordon Burrows, whose district includes the new two-mile stretch. "Today is a milestone day for the historic former Putnam Division Rail Line right-of-way and for the thousands of recreational users who bike or walk the trailway," he said. 

Legislator Bernice Spreckman said,  "I have followed the progress of the trailway for many years and am delighted that this final section will now be completed."

The county purchased the South County Trailway property in 1991 for $2.1 million, more than a decade after the state purchased the North County Trailway portion and leased it to the county for use as a trailway. Both trailways are maintained by the county Parks Department. The south portions were designed piece by piece by the Planning Department, with construction overseen by the county Public Works Department. The north portions were built by the state.

As part of this final project in Yonkers, a historic marker providing information on the Putnam Division Railroad and the defunct Bryn Mawr train station will be placed at the former station site located near Palmer Road. Improvements for the $3.2 million project will also include the construction of retaining walls, split-rail fence barriers, gates to prohibit unauthorized vehicle entry, drainage swales and culverts to direct stormwater runoff, planting buffers, and the removal of all trash and debris within this section.

Access to the new Yonkers’ segment of the trailway will be at Touissant Avenue, Palmer Road, Mile Square Road and Redmond Park. Parking and public restroom facilities are currently available for trailway users at Redmond Park and at Tibbett’s Brook Park.

The uncompleted half-mile “missing link” segment runs from Rt. 119 in Elmsford to Warehouse Lane in Greenburgh.