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Consultants present Veil Trail master plan roadmap; engineers flag washed‑out crossings and bridge settlement
Summary
Creighton Manning updated Lewis County legislators on a roughly one‑year Veil Trail planning process, inventorying crossings and structures, and rolling out public outreach including 196 certified mailers, ~20 property‑owner meetings and an open house targeted for Aug. 19–20 in Lowville.
Don Adams of Creighton Manning Engineering and Surveying told the General Service Committee that the Veil Trail master‑planning effort is now in its public‑engagement phase and that the project team has completed a detailed inventory of crossings, bridges and structures along two corridor segments (Trail A and Trail B).
"I'll be giving the overview of where we are in the process and some of the data we've collected," Adams said, noting the team used GIS, ortho imagery and LiDAR to develop alignments and to document bridge and crossing conditions. He reported roughly 29 miles in total and said Trail A includes 14 road crossings, eight bridges, 23 cattle passes and 55 culverts. Adams identified structural concerns including a washed‑out crossing at Capitano Creek and a settled pier on the Black River bridge near Carthage, and said some deteriorated rail ties make certain structures unsafe for public use without remediation.
Melissa Martone, leading the public involvement work for Creighton Manning, outlined the outreach plan and early results. "We sent out 196 certified mailers to property owners to inform them about these upcoming meetings," Martone said, adding the team has scheduled about 20 one‑on‑one adjacent property owner meetings and has fielded roughly 50 survey responses so far. She said the project will use multiple touch points — mail, an online survey with a QR code on handouts, tabling at community events including the Lewis County Fair, and an open‑house format at the Lowville Fire Department planned for Aug. 19 or 20 — to solicit public comment on desired trail uses and destinations.
The presentation emphasized safety and maintenance questions that will shape design alternatives. Adams said municipalities will need to weigh in on crossing treatments where the corridor crosses public roads, particularly where speed limits are high. He also said environmental desktop screening is underway to identify wetlands, historic resources and potential endangered‑species constraints.
The committee took a brief round of questions about testing and environmental sampling. Adams said the team has not done soil sampling to date; they are researching any known hazardous spills and plan further environmental review as the project moves forward. The committee voted to forward related draft local law updates to the full board for consideration.
