A planned rail trail on an abandoned train line in the Adirondacks is moving ahead.
Recently the state Department of Transportation completed the removal of rail infrastructure on a 34-mile section of the trail between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid and transferred the property to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
That marked the official start for the design and construction phase for the 119-mile trail between Remsen and Lake Placid.
The first of three trail stages, between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, is expected to be completed by September 2023, and the full trail is expected to be finished by 2025. The total cost is projected to be approximately $23 million, The Albany Times-Union reported.
Due to the unimproved and inconsistent surface of the trail, limited public recreation activities will be allowed while construction is performed.
The rail line was built in 1892 and operated continuously until freight service stopped in 1972. The state bought the corridor and leased it to the Adirondack Railway Corp., then acquired the remainder of the lease in 1991 after the company declared bankruptcy, according to the DEC website.