MidHudsonNews [dot] com is reporting Ulster County Executive Michael Hein, along with local and state officials March 23, announced that construction of the final two-mile stretch that will join the Ulster and Duchess rail trails together is now scheduled to begin. Phases three and four of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail will extend the existing route by two miles, from Tony Williams Park in Lloyd to South Street in New Paltz. The project provides off-road access for cyclists directly from Ashokan to Battery Park in lower Manhattan. Eventually the trail will reach north to Albany, and then to Canada. "When we connect that last bit to New Paltz, that 1.6 miles, everything changes; Metro-North will be connected with SUNY New Paltz. Southern Dutchess County will be connected with Kingston," Hein said. Once the regional trail system is finished, it will become part of the 750-mile Empire State Trail, which is slated for completion in 2021. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.