The public outcry after Guilford Rail System blocked the bikeway in Rotterdam Junction shows just how much that path is valued. Schenectady County officials are right to push for a quick resolution, and their preferred approach, building a tunnel under the tracks, does seem like the best way to go, provided the state helps pay for it. In fact, a tunnel is what county planners say they had wanted all along.
Since the path opened in the late 1970s, cyclists headed west have had to leave the bikeway, cross Guilford's tracks and take Scrafford Road to Route 5S. For most of the time, the detour didn't matter much because the path ended at Scrafford Road.
However, it became an inconvenience after the county, with federal money, recently built a mile-and-a-half extension just west of the tracks. There are further plans to extend the path all the way to Amsterdam.
But now, thanks to Guilford, taking the old route is more than an inconvenience, it's a near impossibility. The railroad, apparently concerned about liability, has put up concrete barriers blocking access to the tracks, has trains blocking the tracks themselves, and has threatened to arrest trespassers.
The county seems to have a case that an easement has been established, and that it must have such an easement to access a public road. But convincing a judge of that is no sure thing, and a prolonged court battle could be expensive.
Better to use that money toward a tunnel, a tunnel that would greatly enhance the path by avoiding the Route 5 detour. If not money, Guilford can at least furnish design and engineering help, as well as manpower to direct traffic and do track work.
The county has been spending all along to maintain and improve the trail. This section is a critical component of Gov. George Pataki's ambitious plan to build a continuous path linking Albany and Buffalo along the old Erie Canal. The Thruway Authority, which controls canal spending, hasn't dedicated any money to the Schenectady County trail yet. It's time.