{"id":2013619,"date":"2023-08-27T14:52:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-27T18:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/orange-county-to-add-bikeway-vision-to-comprehensive-plan\/"},"modified":"2023-08-27T14:57:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-27T18:57:04","slug":"orange-county-to-add-bikeway-vision-to-comprehensive-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/orange-county-to-add-bikeway-vision-to-comprehensive-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Orange County to include bike path vision in comprehensive plan."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Forange-county-to-add-bikeway-vision-to-comprehensive-plan%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2013619&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<h2>Orange County&#8217;s Vision for a Thriving Bikeway\u2063 System<\/h2>\n<p>Orange County Planning Commissioner Alan Sorensen, during the \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-democrats-h-r-1-is-a-power-grab-would-undermine-states-election-rules\/\" title=\"Republicans: Democrats\u2019 H.R. 1 Is a Power Grab, Would Undermine States\u2019 Election Rules\">rules committee meeting<\/a> \u200bon \u200cAug. \u200c24, presented a draft bikeway vision to be added to the county\u2062 comprehensive plan.<\/p>\n<p>The vision describes a future bikeway system of \u200dseven \u200cmajor trails with a total length of nearly 65 miles throughout the\u200b county, connecting town centers, scenic destinations, and\u200b transit stations along the way.<\/p>\n<p>These bikeways are intended to balance a county transportation system currently overly centered on roads and highways \u200dand to encourage traveling modes other than cars.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Story<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/orange-county-projects-awarded-nearly-3-4-million-to-keep-trash-from-reaching-the-ocean-5481285\">Orange County Projects Awarded Nearly \u200b$3.4 Million to Keep\u2063 Trash From Reaching \u2064the Ocean<\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/26\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/orange-county-projects-awarded-nearly-3-4-million-to-keep-trash-from-reaching-the-ocean-5481285\"><\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe \u200dhave\u200d talked about\u200b expanding the bike network and now it \u2064is finally in its final draft form to bring back to the legislature,\u201d Mr. Sorensen said at the meeting, \u2063adding that the next step was to refer the draft plan\u2064 to \u200ccounty and regional planning boards for review.<\/p>\n<p>Most bikeways are\u2063 to be built on\u200c inactive \u2063railbeds, with 80 percent of the costs covered by federal grants \u2063plus \u2062occasional state funding.<\/p>\n<p>The system\u2019s \u2062first section \u2062is the Orange County \u2064Heritage Trail, \u2062a 19.5-mile county trail that\u2064 runs from Monroe to Middletown along the former Erie Railroad.<\/p>\n<p>It took \u200cthe county about 20 years to\u200d develop that trail, which is now used by half a million locals every year \u2064for \u2064running, biking, and hiking, according\u2062 to an estimate by the tourism department.<\/p>\n<p>Soon,\u2063 the Heritage Trail will be extended to the\u2062 Ingrassia Road in\u2062 the Town of Wallkill\u200d from downtown Middletown. \u200bConstruction is expected to start next\u200c year.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>A local resident with \u2062her\u2062 golden retriever \u200don the \u2062Goshen section of the Heritage Trail on May 16, 2015. (Yvonne \u200cMarcotte\/Epoch\u2062 Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Another trail in the works is the 10-mile \u2063Schunnemunk Rail Trail that\u200d runs on the abandoned Erie Railroad \u200dfrom\u200c the Town\u2063 of\u2062 Chester to Salisbury Mills Train Station in Cornwall.<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 24, \u2064the rules\u2062 committee voted to \u2064buy the \u200dright-of-way of\u200b the\u200b Schunnemunk Trail from\u2063 the Open Space Institute for close to \u2064$2.4 million,\u2062 with 90\u2063 percent of the costs paid for by federal\u2062 and\u200d state grants.<\/p>\n<p>The trail will be the first in the county to have separate \u2062lanes\u2062 for\u2064 biking and hiking. Construction is\u200b expected \u200bto start next year and \u2063costs around $28 \u2063million.<\/p>\n<p>Following completion, the Schunnemunk Trail is to\u2063 be connected to the existing Heritage Trail via Camp LaGuardia, which is slated to\u2064 be \u2064turned into a new county\u2062 park.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the above\u2062 two trails, five\u200b more are in planning:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A 12.8-mile trail runs\u200d from Middletown\u2064 down to Unionville<\/li>\n<li>Two separate trails starting\u200c from \u200bCampbell Hall Train Station to the\u200c existing Walden-Wallkill Trail\u2063 on the north side and \u2063Goshen on the south\u2064 side<\/li>\n<li>Another two trails connecting Storm King Art Center with the nearby \u200bSalisbury Mills Train Station and \u200dNewburgh<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Harriman \u2062Train Station\u200d in Harriman, N.Y., \u2064on Aug.\u200c 23, 2023. \u200b(Cara Ding\/The Epoch\u2062 Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>On \u2062top of \u200dthe above seven core trails, \u200dtwo outer trails in less dense rural areas are also \u200dplanned, with \u2062one\u2062 to run\u200d from Middletown through Otisville \u2062to Westbrookville.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes\u2064 to trail sections where\u2063 the \u200dcounty doesn\u2019t have land control, ownership\u2062 or right-of-way\u2062 shall be sought, according to the draft\u2064 plan. In \u2063cases where \u2062there are\u2063 existing homes or other structures on the proposed bikeways, detours are \u200brecommended.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Sorensen told\u2064 The\u200d Epoch\u2063 Times that his passion \u200cfor parks and open spaces in large part formed in the\u2063 time he \u2064spent hiking with his \u200dlate son \u200cand that he hoped the\u200b future bikeway system would enable more Orange County families to create cherished memories together.<\/p>\n<p>Following the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/citing-fear-that-someone-might-fly-a-qanon-flag-county-proposes-rules-that-restrict-american-flags\/\" title=\"Citing Fear That Someone Might Fly A \u2018QAnon Flag,\u2019 County Proposes Rules That Restrict American Flags\">planning board<\/a> and legislative review, \u200dthe draft plan will go through a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/orange-county-to-add-bikeway-vision-to-comprehensive-plan\/\" title=\"Orange County to include bike path vision in comprehensive plan.\">state \u200denvironmental quality study<\/a> \u2062and\u200d a public hearing before being adopted\u200c as part of the comprehensive \u2062plan.<\/p>\n<p>The final adoption is expected \u2063to take\u200b place by Dec. 2023, according to Mr. Sorensen.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Highland Brook the day after nearly nine inches of rainfall in Highland \u2063Park, N.Y., on July 10, 2023. (Cara Ding\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Other Comprehensive Plan Updates<\/h2>\n<p>At the\u2062 Aug. 24 rules\u200c committee meeting,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Orange County Planning Commissioner Alan Sorensen proposed a bikeway vision for the county comprehensive plan. The plan envisions a network of seven major trails spanning almost 65 miles, linking town centers, scenic spots, and transit options. Sorensen presented the draft during the Aug. 24 rules committee meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":417,"featured_media":2013620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2013619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/417"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2013619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2013620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2013619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2013619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2013619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}