AASHTO Journal - New York Completes Two Major Adirondack Projects

Construction recently wrapped up on two major recreation and transportation projects that serve the Adirondack region of New York State.

[Above photo by NYSDOT]

Work is now complete on the third and final phase of the Adirondack Rail Trail, making the 34-mile, multi-use recreational corridor between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake available for all-season enjoyment.

In addition, the train platform and maintenance shed project at the Adirondack Scenic Railroad’s Tupper Lake Rail Station is now complete as well, improving passenger rail connectivity to the Adirondacks.

The New York State Department of Transportation handled the $13.5 million upgrade to the Tupper Lake Station – a project that began in February 2024 that included an 18-foot-wide by 550-foot-long low-level platform with a canopy and wheelchair lifts for accessibility and a baggage platform for loading bicycles and kayaks. The new maintenance shed will facilitate year-round maintenance of the locomotives and improved railroad operations well into the future.

“With breathtaking scenery and unrivaled landscapes, the Adirondack Region is one of the great natural treasures of New York State that everyone should experience as often as possible,” noted NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez in a statement.

“The completion of the Adirondack Rail Trail and the Tupper Lake Rail Station makes it easier to explore this wondrous region and allows people to do so while leaving the car at home and taking the train or walking,” she added. “We are proud to have played a role along with our state agency partners in bringing these landmark projects to completion for all to enjoy.”

Funding for the almost $40 million rail trail included $13.1 million from the 2022 Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, in addition to capital investments from New York Works and the state’s Environmental Protection Fund. The Adirondack Rail Trail Association also assists with trail maintenance, amenities, and stewardship.

In 2020, NYSDOT and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) adopted a revised Unit Management Plan, which divided the Remsen to Lake Placid Travel Corridor into two segments – the Adirondack Rail Trail and the Adirondack Rail Corridor.

As part of this plan, NYSDOT completed the track rehabilitation project in 2022 along the 84-mile Remsen to Tupper Lake segment for improved passenger rail service on the Adirondack Railroad.

The Rail Trail’s transformation began in October 2020 when NYSDOT began removing rail infrastructure from the Tupper Lake to Lake Placid segment of the corridor.

In March 2022, NYSDOT transferred jurisdiction of those trails to the NYSDEC, marking the formal completion of the rail removal phase and the start of the formal trail design and now-completed construction phase.