FALLSBURG  — The Neversink Crossing project is close to reaching approval from the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), according to Sullivan County Division of Planning, Community Development and Environmental Management Commissioner Heather Brown, who reported to the Planning and Community Resources Committee of Sullivan County Legislature earlier this month.

The Neversink Crossing project is for the construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Neversink River and boardwalk connecting Woodridge to the Tunnel Bypass Trail, connecting a 13-mile section of the Sullivan O&W Rail Trail  from one end of the Town of Fallsburg to the other. 

The total estimated cost of the project is $3,545,292 and the funding received thus far is $3,013,366 which leaves a $531,926 funding gap. Brown told the Democrat that in the current stage, these construction phase costs are based soley on an estimate and final numbers will not be received until the project goes out to a fomal bid later this year. A formal bid is anticipated in the fall. 

The Town of Fallsburg has partnered with Sullivan County on construction of this segment of what will one day be the continuous 50-mile Sullivan O&W Rail Trail spanning almost the entire width of Sullivan County from the Town of Mamakating to the Town of Rockland. 

Brown said that the final design report has been compiled and is pending approval from NYSDOT. She said that as long as they get approval by the end of July they are on target. 

Brown said that they applied for the federal congressional funding for the project back in February of 2020, right before the pandemic hit. 

Where the funding  comes from

Brown said that just under $2.7 million of the funding for the project is coming from various outside sources across state agencies, federal agencies and a $400,000 private donation from a local organization. 

The Town of Fallsburg received $200,000 in State and Municipalities funding from Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), $250,000 in federal funding from the Recreational Trails Program of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and $500,000 in state funding from the Environmental Protection Fund of the OPRHP. 

For the project, Sullivan County received $1,100,000 in federal funding from Congressional Appropriation of the Federal Highway Administraton - Department of Transportation and $212,657 from the Conservation Investment Program of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The county also donated $350,709 to the project. 

Brown also said that there will be an updated cost estimate of the project forthcoming and the cost escalation, which opened at 8 percent from the initial cost estimate back in January, will drop within a month or two. 

“That escalation will be dropped with the assumption that we’re gonna be bidding this project in the fourth quarter,” said Brown. “We couldn’t justify being that conservative at that point in time [January] and we would hope that there would not be an 8 percent escalation in three months.”

The Commissioner also said that the $531,926 funding gap will have to come from some kind of local sources. 

Legislature on board

The legislatures on the Planning and Community Resources Committee were all for the project moving forward. 

“I think we would be crazy to turn away the money that’s already been donated and sought after,” said District 1 Legislator and Committee Chair Matt McPhillips. “And this is a big part of the rail trail; this is a huge part of everything that we’ve been trying to continue. I fully support going forward with this.”

County Parliamentarian Tom Cawley noted that if the county chose not to go forward with this project, they would have to return what money they have already committed to it. 

“Suffice it to say, federal and state agencies who give us grants will look very unfavorably at our next application,” said Cawley. “They don’t like us returning their money, ever. There’s a half-million-dollar shortfall that you will have to authorize.”

District 7 Legislator Joe Perrello made the recommendation that they get a resolution drafted for the Executive Committee at the end of the month. 

“That way we give passage to go forward there and they go out for bids and hopefully get better prices going forward,” said Perrello.

Town of Mamakating Supervisor Michael Robbins had also sent a letter dated June 5 to Sullivan O&W Rail to Trail Alliance in support of the rail trail and this project. 

“While the rail trail project positively impacts local businesses, it also provides a boon to the larger community,” Robbins stated in the letter. “We believe that rail trails encourage downtown revitalization, public health and quality of life improvements and appreciation for local history, provide a venue for community events and serve as a safe place for residents for all ages to enjoy healthy leisure activities.”

Brown said that she would put the resolution together and have it ready for the Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, July 25.

Helen Budrock, Chair of the Sullivan O&W Rail Trail Alliance, gave her appreciation for the county in the support of the rail trail. 

“I’ve been involved with the rail trail in the Town of Fallsburg for a little over 25 years now,” Budrock said. “The first segment of the O&W Rail Trail was initially formed in 1990, so this has been a decades long effort. I have to say honestly, that it wasn’t until the county got involved in 2019 that things really started to come together at a county-wide scale.

“I know it’s been a long haul and we just really appreciate all the support that the county has given us to get to this point,” Budrock concluded, “and then hopefully to be able to get over that last hump. This is just a great opportunity to create a destination in Sullivan County.”