New Castle, Ossining Exploring New Bike and Pedestrian Trail
Officials from New Castle and the Town and Village of Ossining are collaborating on improving the connection between the municipalities for pedestrians and cyclists by developing a plan to link Millwood with its western neighbor.
At a pair of workshops last week, four potential east-west routes that had recently been unveiled were discussed. They are designed to encourage local residents to explore transportation alternatives and link the communities through commerce, open space and recreation that is safe and accessible.
The communities had received a $30,000 Hudson Valley Greenway grant from the state to conduct an engineering study to look at connecting downtown Ossining with the North County Trailway, a popular bike path that runs from north to south throughout Westchester and Putnam counties and passes through Millwood.
An intermunicipal task force consisting of representatives from New Castle and Ossining town and village recently mapped possible routes. Residents from Briarcliff Manor and the Town of Yorktown are also interested parties. At the two-session workshop on Nov. 2 at the Ossining Public Library, residents were asked to leave comments and complete a 28-question survey to better gauge their preferences and habits.
“The whole notion is to have pedestrian and bike access to make it easier for people to bike and walk to and from these various places,” said Town of Ossining Supervisor Dana Levenberg.
Levenberg said it is not yet known what the costs might be for the different routes. Each choice has advantages and drawbacks such as feasibility of constructing a path, elevation and the volume of vehicular traffic on a particular route, she said. The communities will have to discuss funding methods in the future.
The first of the four potential trails that were released include Route 133, which is the most direct route from Ossining to the North County Trailway. It would be 3.67 miles long with a 466-foot climb and a maximum elevation of 573 feet.
Other possibilities are Pinesbridge Road, a 4.67-mile proposal with a climb of 506 feet and a maximum elevation of 621 feet; Croton Dam Road, an 8.73-mile trail with a 662-foot climb and maximum elevation of 574 feet; and Pleasantville Road in Briarcliff Manor, which would be 5.3 miles long with a 525-foot climb and a 438-foot maximum elevation.
The project’s goal is to not only provide a direct link from one destination to another but also offer additional recreation by linking existing trails and making bike and pedestrian access easier to some of the commercial zones so residents don’t have to use their car all the time, participants agreed. Residents from multiple communities that have redone or are in the midst of revamping local Comprehensive Plans have stressed walkability and access to bike trails as a priority.
“It’s looking at the whole area to try and create as much of a network in kind of a concentric loop and have multiple routes that can be taken,” said Stephen Coleman, New Castle’s environmental consultant.
Mark Wilson, a Briarcliff Manor village trustee and an avid biker, said the village is backing the effort. He said the Pleasantville Road route would be most advantageous to Briarcliff because it would be able to hook up with an existing trail near the village’s community center and library.
It would also be best if the route traverses a somewhat more rural path rather than a commercial byway, he said. However, Briarcliff will be supportive regardless of the route that is chosen.
“At the village we’re entirely supportive because most of it is going to Ossining and New Castle, but we’re being supportive to make sure it fits into what we already have so it makes it more enjoyable,” Wilson said.
Laura Kelly, a cycling enthusiast from Yorktown and originally from Colorado where bike routes are plentiful, said the proposals makes sense for those who love the outdoors and want to achieve a better quality of life.
“You’re going to have more opportunities to stop and enjoy and experience where you’re going and take in the sites along the way,” Kelly said. “So, these types of opportunities are tremendous. We don’t have enough of these up here for people to be able to get around without driving your car, so I love being able to talk about this.”
Vehicle reduction is one of the goals for Ossining, particularly downtown, so more parking doesn’t have to be created, Levenberg said.
“That’s going to be better for the environment, it’s going to be better for people’s health, it’s going to ultimately be better for business, too, if you can get some walking-friendly sidewalks and things like that,” Levenberg said.
To learn more about the effort and to take the survey, visit www.townofossining.com/cms/projects/millwood-ossining-go.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
