Hikers, bikers have new trail to traverse that was 50 years in the making

A century ago, a wooded 10-mile Long Island Rail Road corridor carried train passengers between Wading River and Mount Sinai. Now the bucolic route is open to hikers and bikers seeking fresh air, and perhaps a healthful way to get to work.

Suffolk County officials formally opened the North Shore Rail Trail on Friday, after more than a decade of planning among Suffolk County, state and Brookhaven Town officials. 

County Executive Steve Bellone said local residents first suggested turning the path into a bike trail nearly five decades ago. He said the county hopes to develop more such trails in the future.

“This opening today really goes a long way toward kicking off  the next effort. We hope it doesn’t take another 50 years,” Bellone said. “I think this will be a driving force for what we need to do across this county.”

The trail, abandoned by the LIRR in 1939, now is owned by the Long Island Power Authority as a right of way for overhead power lines.

Suffolk officials said the trail would help spur economic growth and improve the quality of life and property values in the area.

It stretches from Crystal Brook Hollow Road in Mount Sinai to Wading River Manor Road in Wading River, paralleling State Route 25A. It features an asphalt path with informational signs and lighting at intersections.

The path winds past the Tesla Science Center in Shoreham and the Rocky Point State Pine Barrens Preserve. The $8 million project was funded by federal grants, Suffolk Legis. Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) told Newsday.

“The financial benefit is it will attract tourists,” Anker said. “It will be the gateway to the North Fork. It creates a stronger sense of community. We have people getting on their bikes in Wading River and riding to work in Mount Sinai.”

Riding and jogging the trail also should be safer than traversing local roads, Anker said, noting that Route 25A has been the scene of numerous serious vehicle accidents in recent years.

“We need safer places for people to recreate — biking, riding, walking, running,” she said. “This is a safer alternative than driving your bike on a street, but people need to take responsibility and stay safe. Look out for cars and look both ways at the intersections.”

The trail will be open year-round, but will not be plowed during the winter, which means it will be open for cross-country skiing, Anker said.

Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro, a Shoreham resident, said plans for the trail have been around so long that he worked on the project nearly 20 years ago as a state assemblyman.

“I ride my bike here with my kids all the time,” Losquadro said. “It’s something we’ve been looking forward to for a very long time.”

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.