Area residents will have a chance Tuesday to learn more about a proposed 8-mile paved pedestrian and bicycle trail that would connect two major existing trails in the Elmira area.
The Elmira Chemung Transportation Council will hold a public information meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the proposed link between the Lackawanna Rail Trail in the City of Elmira and the Catharine Valley Trail at Huck Finn Road in the Town of Veteran.
The meeting will take place at the Elmira Heights Village Hall, 215 Elmwood Ave.
The Lackawanna Rail Trail starts at Eldridge Park in Elmira and parallels Interstate 86 before it terminates at the Wellsburg-Lowman crossover. The Catharine Valley Trail follows along Catharine Creek and ends in Watkins Glen.
The proposed 8-mile connector would create a 29-mile continuous trail corridor, which is expected to enhance tourism and related economic opportunities, as well as improve mobility and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists along the trail route.
The transportation council held a previous public meeting in June 2023 during an initial feasibility study. Based on that study, the agency is now conducting preliminary engineering studies to further develop details of the project design, including the trail route, bridges, trailheads, landscaping and more.
The connector trail will be built in phases, and the first phase — from Eldridge Park to I-86 — is slated to get underway in the summer of 2026.
For more information about the project and the public information meeting, contact Michael Perry at mperry@chemungcountyny.gov, or call 607-737-5510.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Public meeting Tuesday on proposed link between Lackawanna and Catharine Valley trails
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
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