A $5.4 million welcome center on the Ulster County side of Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park is officially open for visitors.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced June 29 that the 3,500-square-foot visitor center is open for business. The facility features a new plaza and amphitheater seating for special events, a covered 1,400-square-foot patio, enhanced signage and landscaping, and a concession stand with public restrooms.
The governor said in a press announcement that the center “will be the gateway for the thousands of visitors arriving at the western end of the Walkway.”
The 6,700-foot-long public trail spans the Hudson River on the former Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge between the towns of Lloyd in Ulster County and Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County. Opened in 2009, Walkway Over the Hudson attracts nearly 500,000 visitors each year, according to park officials.
A similar welcome center on the eastern, Dutchess side of the walkway is expected to open in time for the park’s 10th anniversary celebration in spring 2019.