Democratic View: Dryden’s Rail Trail is a lifeline

There are 22,000 miles of rail trail in New York state, yet most of these miles are neither improved nor approved for public use. So, we can say, with pride, that some of the best New York rail-trail miles are in our own backyard, crisscrossing Dryden.

The Dryden Rail Trail is a community asset stretching from Dryden Lake along Virgil and Fall creeks to other trails threading west to the Cornell Campus and the East Hill Recreation Way, north to the Waterfront Trail, and on to Trumansburg via the Black Diamond Trail. Think about that. It’s a multiuse trail system that everyone can celebrate.

Readers can follow Rail Trail progress on Instagram @TownofDrydenRailTrail and at the official Town of Dryden Rail Trail Facebook page: facebook.com/TownofDrydenRailTrail.

I have no doubt that the Dryden Rail Trail will become a kingpin amenity in our town, an infrastructural asset we imagined in our 2005 Comprehensive Plan and can’t live without today.

It provides a safe and continuous cross-town route for off-road commuter transportation and all manner of recreation side-benefits — dog walking, bird watching, exercising, cycling, family outings, cross-country skiing and equestrian fun.

Word is getting out. Soon, our Rail Trail will be a recreation magnet and a money-maker for local businesses. Last year, Bike Walk Tompkins commissioned a comprehensive survey and found about 20 to 25% of residents and 10 to 16% of students ride bikes daily or weekly in warmer months.

Student commuting and pleasure riding is growing with bike share. Over 80% of students and residents see bicycling as a reasonable part of the transportation mix in and around Ithaca.

Who paid for it all? Local volunteers have put in thousands of hours with shovels, maps, computers and sharpies. Local businesses and contractors have given generous amounts of material and equipment to ‘tame the Trail.’ When complete, there will be normal maintenance costs.

According to Rick Young, Dryden’s Highway and Department of Public Works superintendent, “Our staff has been happy to restore old railroad trestles and maintain the trail. Bridge and trail maintenance will be normal, just like other structures we maintain in the town.”

The all-volunteer Rail Trail Task Force has been hard at work, scoring many outside grants to build a bridge joining the east and west sections of the trail. The biggest is a U.S. Transportation Alternatives Program Grant of $1,476,800, plus awards from the NYS Multi-Modal Grant program, a Tompkins County Tourism Capital Grant, Cornell University and the Triad Foundation.

The total thus far is $2,051,800. The Task Force has secured other grants for the rest of the trail from the Triad Foundation, NYS Parks, AARP and Tompkins County Tourism, totaling another $231,000. That’s a grand total of $2,282,800.

The town of Dryden has made a backstop commitment of 16.7% as a match, which includes in-kind — nonmonetary — contributions. This is a breath-taking return on a multimillion-dollar investment. Thanks to the Task Force and town officials for bringing all this money to Dryden! I have no doubt that the Dryden Rail Trail will become a crown jewel in our town.

The bridge over busy Route 13 is key to the project and all-important for everyone wanting safe passage. The traffic below endangers Rail Trail users unless a safe and sound pedestrian bridge is built. According to the 2020 State Route 13 Corridor Study, the annual average daily traffic count beneath the planned bridge exceeds 14,000 vehicles.

That’s 10 cars a minute, and more during daylight hours when traffic swells. It’s comforting to think that youngsters and others using the Rail Trail can look forward to using a bridge over this river of traffic. The New York State Department of Transportation has said that the bridge is the safest of several alternatives.

The Dryden Rail Trail is a tribute to citizen goodwill, intermunicipal cooperation and hard work by the Town Board investing in such appealing infrastructure. It is a lifeline to the town’s future. The Trail enhances public health through exercise and fitness and offers a quality-of-life alternative during the COVID era and beyond. And it connects Dryden internally and to other parts of our trail-rich county and region.

This is quite a legacy. When completed, the bridge will be an emblem of safety, beauty and good planning. We invite everyone to visit and use this long-anticipated corridor. In doing so, you’ll be reducing carbon emissions, supporting local business development and enjoying a historic improvement to Dryden’s beautiful landscape.

Charles Geisler is a Dryden resident and an emeritus professor of development sociology at Cornell. The Democratic View is edited by Tompkins County Democratic Committee Communications Director Renate Ferro. Democratic residents with current topics are invited to submit them for consideration. Contact renateferroTCDC@gmail.com.