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Consultants outline multi-year scoping and environmental-assessment process for Zim Smith Trail
Summary
GPI consultants told the Saratoga County Open Space Committee that 14 route concepts will be screened in a scoping report; they estimate a roughly 12-month scoping phase and a separate 12-month federal EA, pushing construction several years out and leaving funding decisions contingent on federal review.
Amanda Kinley, project manager for GPI, told the Saratoga County Open Space Committee that the Zim Smith Trail project has moved back into a scoping phase after meetings with the New York State Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Kinley said the change was prompted by potential impacts associated with a preferred route identified in earlier work and that her team will screen 14 route concepts to find a feasible build option.
Kinley said the scoping report will "establish purpose, need, and objectives of the project," and will be used to screen the 14 concepts so the team does not advance all options. "We're estimating maybe a 12-month duration for the scoping process, and then 12 months for the EA process," she said, describing the environmental-assessment (EA) pathway the project now faces under FHWA guidance.
The consultants explained that the scoping work includes a draft scoping report for internal and county review, DOT review, public information or scoping meetings, and then a final scoping report that informs whether FHWA will find a no significant impact (FONSI) or require a fuller environmental-impact statement. Kinley said GPI prepared a 160-page historic-resources document for DOT and that the team will coordinate on potential archaeological or architectural studies if a proposed bridge or other features raise concerns.
Committee members asked about timing and funding. Kinley said she expects to deliver a draft scoping report to county staff within a week or two but warned that DOT and FHWA review windows have been inconsistent: "When we submitted that historic resource information, that was almost 8 weeks ago...they said 5 to 7 weeks. So here we are, nothing from them." She and county staff estimated preliminary design by about two years and suggested construction would likely start no sooner than three years from now.
On funding, consultants said federal grants are typically reimbursable and some sources (such as TAP) are capped. Kinley offered broad cost ranges for segments, putting individual segment estimates roughly between about $2 million and $12–15 million and a combined figure for five segments between about $25 million and $60 million. She also noted mitigation options such as a boardwalk could add about $1,500 per linear foot.
Kinley and county staff said next steps include finishing the draft scoping report, circulating it to DOT and FHWA, holding public scoping meetings, and then initiating the EA phase once FHWA and DOT complete reviews. The committee was told that once the EA determination is made it will be easier to pursue construction grants and finalize a preferred route.
The committee did not take action on the Zim Smith Trail during the meeting; consultants will return with a scoping report and public meeting schedule.
