The Hutch: Putting the Park Back in the Parkway

By Edna Sussman

An October 2002 conference at Manhattanville College co-sponsored by FCWC jump started the effort to restore the beautiful old trails along the Hutchinson River Parkway. The demand for multi-use trails and trail systems is burgeoning throughout the country as people seek to enjoy their landscapes and make their hometowns livable and enjoyable. Jogging, walking and bicycle riding are three of the most popular recreational activities for Westchester county residents.

Eastern Trail Needed

There are four linear parks in the western part of our county- the Croton Aqueduct, the north and south county trailways, the Bronx River Parkway and the developing Hudson River Greenway. There is no comparable recreational opportunity in the densely populated south eastern part of the county. We need a restored Hutch trail. A redevelopment of that trail would also provide a wonderful linkage among the many communities along the Hutch and provide an option for using the greenway as an alternative means of getting from one community to another. And now with the development of the East Coast Greenway trail planned from Maine to Florida, the Hutch will serve to connect Westchester with the entire east coast.

State of the Hutch Trails

The Hutchinson River Parkway was the creation of the visionary Westchester County Parks Commission which recommended its construction in 1924 to provide a scenic and rapid route for cars but also to protect water supplies and provide a park for the local residents. It is the park part of the commission's goal that needs to be revisited. The park trail along the Hutch has fallen in many places into disrepair; it is in places narrow or overgrown, it lacks signage, trailside maps, and marked access points. In places, high way improvements implemented over the years interfere with its continuity.

Existing linkages

The Hutch Greenway is the connecting strand in the necklace of 5 beautiful county parks that run along the Hutch - Maple Moor in White Plains, Saxon Woods in Scarsdale, Twin Lakes in Eastchester, Nature Study Woods in New Rochelle and Willson's Woods in Mount Vernon. It offers continuing opportunities for a connection down to Pelham Bay Park, Orchard Beach, and City Island in New York City and on up into Connecticut. Not only could it connect all of these parks, but it runs along several other wonderful attractions in Westchester - beautiful lakes, the Weinberg Nature Center, the Leatherstocking Trail, Memorial Field, Quaker Ridge Golf course, Lake Isle, and several equestrian facilities. It is a remarkable resource with remarkable promise.

Participation essential

In order to advance the goal of resurrecting this trailway system, FCWC worked with Art Scinta the mayor of Pelham, Manhattanville College, the Purchase Environmental Protective Association and the Westchester Historical Society to gather those interested in the development of such a trail at the October conference. Some of the highlights of the conference are reported in these pages.

Gathering input from local citizens, bringing communities together, informing people about the trailway, and working with government at all levels to develop plans and fund the work necessary is required to make this a reality. Citizen participation is essential. Please contact FCWC at 914-422-4053 if you can help with any part of this effort.

From Maine to Florida: The East Coast Greenway

By David Lutz

It took New Yorkers to come up with an idea as big as the East Coast Greenway (ECG), which will extend from Maine to Florida. The planned verdant multi-use trail which will be more than 80% off-road, would unlike the Appalachian Trail go right through the central business district of every big city on the coast. Thousands of future visitors would use it as a health-related ecotourism destination, but perhaps its more important purpose would be to create a bicycle-pedestrian locale for millions of nearby residents.

The Hutch

Your string section may be playing "impossible dream" in the background at this point, but the East Coast Greenway Alliance, founded by practical professionals from up and down the coast, knew before they started that the Greenway could connect existing local trails by using green corridors like the Hutchinson River Parkway right-of-way. It took a Connecticut planner named Jenny Aley, who suggested using the Meritt Parkway corridor as part of the link between existing NYC waterfront trails and the beautiful Farmington Canal Trail in her state, to convince an ad hoc committee to organize into the East Coast Greenway Alliance more than 10 years ago.

The Hutchinson River Parkway trails built by Robert Moses are in disrepair. Construction of new trails in the highway corridor would put the park back in the park-way and provide a critical link in the long distance vision of dreamers from up and down the coast that are now working for an interstate trail for non-motorized transportation which would enable walkers, runners, skaters, cyclists, equestrians - everyone- to access and enjoy local landscapes. Just think what it would be like to bike all the way down to the Battery in Manhattan or all the way up to Stamford on a trail that goes all the way.

For more information visit http://www.greenway.org/ and http://www.treebranch.net/.

David Lutz is a Board Member of the East Coast Greenway Alliance and Executive Director, Neighborhood Open Space Coalition in New York City

A First Class Regional Trail

By Paul Gisondo

Until recently, the Hutchinson River Pathway has been a little noticed unpaved 9-mile bridle path that parallels the Hutchinson River Parkway for about two thirds of its length through Westchester County. Properly developed this path could undoubtedly become a first-class regional trail facility.

Master Plan

The Hutchinson River Parkway right-of-way, averaging 200 feet in width, runs just over 14 miles through southeastern Westchester County and is an important linear open space corridor, connecting five county parks. The Hutchinson River Parkway corridor was included and mapped for off-road trail use in the Tri-County Bicycle-Pedestrian Master Plan. This plan was completed in 2001 and mapped a greatly expanded network of planned bike routes and trails in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland Counties.

The pathway currently exists as an unpaved bridle trail of varying width that runs from just north of North Street in Harrison to Nature Study Woods County Park in New Rochelle. Much of it was built as part of parkway reconstruction work undertaken by New York State DOT in the 1980's who also provided impressive infrastructure including guide rails and many stream and road crossing bridges to provide for trail continuity. At that time, the Westchester County Parks Department assumed maintenance responsibility of the trail.

Current Uses

In addition to equestrian users, hikers, runners and off-road bicyclists also informally enjoy the Hutchinson River pathway. A recent reconnaissance tour of the trail by county planning and parks staff revealed its popularity amongst area high school and college cross country running teams. It was also observed that trail conditions vary greatly with some sections heavily eroded and/or overgrown and encroached upon by vegetation. Some sections were very narrow or even non-existent. Currently there is no signage to identify the trail or to guide trail users and motorists at road crossings.

Possible improvements

With increased trail use comes the need to upgrade the trail to safely accommodate the expected increase in use and types of users. Short to mid-term path improvements could include: installation of striping and signage at road crossings; providing ongoing maintenance to include vegetative clearing and trail repairs; developing uniform trailway signage; improving access to the trail including small parking areas, and preparation of a trail brochure and users map. Long term actions would include: design and mapping a plan to extend the path north to Connecticut and south to the Bronx, providing connections to other trail systems, such as the Leatherstocking Trail, and to secure funding through federal transportation programs and grants, and other sources for design and construction of a multi-use path. The trail promises much for the future.

Paul Gisondo is an Associate Planner at the Westchester County Department of Planning

The Hutch Conference at Manhattanville College

By Warren Ross

At the "The Hutch: Putting the Park Back in the Parkway" conference held on October 4 at Manhattanville, speakers addressed parallel experiences as well as some of the problems confronting the Hutch in addition to the need to restore the trails.

Hon. Kay Carsky, former county legislator, described how the efforts of the Bronx River Parkway Conservancy have sparked the renewal of this sister road. She offered many concrete suggestions for how best to proceed to mount a similar effort on the Hutch. Peter Szabo, former deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, summarized the efforts that kept the Merritt Parkway from being widened and its unique bridges and signs from being replaced. The premise of the Merritt's preservation, he said, was that "the beauty of public space has public value."

Other topics highlighted at the conference included the problems of invasive vines that, if left alone, might kill sizable trees, and of cell phone towers that spoil the vistas.

Finally, Frank Fish of the engineering firm of Buckhurst, Fish & Jacquemart, and Robert Dennison, Regional Director of the New York State Department of Transportation, discussed possible traffic solutions for the Hutch and for the roadway system of which it has become such an important part. Mr. Fish maintained that there is no need for increasing the capacity of the Hutch and other roadways if, instead, there were engineering improvements in certain bottlenecks. These efforts, he said, would not only make life easier for motorists but improve the quality of life in bordering communities by reducing air pollution and traffic jams in local streets.

These perspectives rounded out the overview of the Hutch, its problems and potential solutions.

Warren Ross is an FCWC board member

An Historical Footnote

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