FALLSBURG — A long-awaited bridge over the Neversink River is bringing the Town of Fallsburg closer to reconnecting two sections of the Sullivan O&W Rail Trail, transforming a former railroad crossing into a new pedestrian link between Fallsburg and Woodridge.
The Neversink Crossing, a prefabricated pedestrian bridge, was recently placed on the old stone abutments that once carried the New York, Ontario & Western Railway between Woodridge and South Fallsburg.
According to Helen Budrock, Senior Planner & Grants Manager for Delaware Engineering, chair of the O&W Rail Trail Alliance and the Town of Fallsburg’s grant consultant, the bridge arrived in four pieces, was bolted together on site and set on the historic stone abutments.
The bridge is not yet open to the public. Budrock said more work remains, including pouring the concrete deck, installing sidewalks and crosswalks on the Woodridge side, and completing earthwork on the Fallsburg side to address an estimated 30-foot elevation difference between the rail bed and the bridge.
Town Supervisor Nathan Steingart also recently visited the site, according to the town’s Facebook page. At a recent town board meeting, Steingart said he was happy to see the project moving forward and described it as an important project for the town.
The project has been years in the making. Budrock said the idea of using the old abutments for a pedestrian bridge began around 2006 or 2007, with Sullivan County later helping move the vision forward after identifying trails as part of its open space planning efforts around 2015.
Budrock said the project’s funding package took about five years to put together and includes eight grants totaling about $3.4 million from federal, state, private and county sources.
Budrock also said she donated her time and expertise in grant administration. If the project remains within budget, she said, it should be fully covered by grants and outside funding sources, with no cost to town taxpayers.
The crossing will connect portions of more than 13 miles of the Sullivan O&W Rail Trail in the Town of Fallsburg. The former NYO&W Railway once stretched 568 miles from Weehawken, New Jersey, to Oswego, New York, carrying tourists, coal and agricultural products, including milk, before the railroad ceased operations in 1957.
Rail trails have become part of the county’s outdoor tourism efforts, while also serving local residents looking for accessible places to walk and bike.
The same corridor that once carried passengers, coal and agricultural products through Sullivan County is now being repurposed for public recreation, connecting communities along the way.
Photo by: O&W Rail Trail Alliance