Breaking ground at The Walkway Over the Hudson

The Walkway Over the Hudson is a converted railroad bridge spanning the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie on the east to Highland on the west. It was opened Oct. 3, 2009, as a pedestrian walkway as part of the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park. On Aug. 22, the Walkway Over the Hudson nonprofit organization and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYSOPRHP) hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking to mark the beginning of construction of the park”™s new Ulster Welcome Center ”” a multipurpose visitors center being built by NYSOPRHP at the bridge”™s western approach off of Haviland Road in the Town of Lloyd. 

The $4.5 million welcome center represents the state”™s latest investment in a series of planned improvements. The Walkway attracts nearly 500,000 visitors annually and will be a major hub on Gov. Cuomo”™s proposed Empire State Trail.

“Construction of the Ulster Welcome Center shows that our partners in New York state government recognize the need to invest in parks and recreational infrastructure,” said Walkway Executive Director Elizabeth Waldstein-Hart. 

A similar welcome center is planned for the Walkway”™s eastern approach in Poughkeepsie, with construction scheduled to begin in 2018.