BLAUVELT - A dangerous crossing for bicyclists and pedestrians on Route 303 has been replaced by a smoothly paved, scenic, gently sloping trail on the edge of a lush state park.

A handful of cyclists, town and state officials gathered today to christen the quarter-mile "Blauvelt bypass" that connects two pieces of Greenbush Road, allowing users to avoid a short but heavily trafficked stretch of the four-lane state roadway.

It circumvents an area where Route 303 has no shoulder, placing walkers, runners and cyclists uncomfortably close to 45-mph traffic — a spot that's been the site of numerous crashes and one fatality.

In essence the bypass creates a north-south route that connects cyclists to roads up and over Clausland Mountain on their way to and from Nyack and Piermont.

Town Councilman Paul Valentine and then-Town Supervisor Andy Stewart pushed for the safety upgrade for years.

Valentine's business is a stone's throw from the bypass' entrance. From there, he would see "accident after accident, why, because this is a pivotal point where cyclists are coming on Greenbush Road," said state Sen. David Carlucci, who secured $125,000 in funding for the project. "And then they have to get on to one of the most dangerous roads, Route 303. ... everyone in town in the emergency services knows this is the danger zone."

Rockland Bicycling Club President Michael Hays called the new path "a simple idea, but it's exactly right" for promoting safety at time when the number of riders on the road has increased dramatically.

"It's not only a beautiful road, it's another way that's going to minimize cycling traffic on some of our roads that are now under a lot of pressure from the amount of cyclists and cars," Hays said of the bypass on the east side of Route 303.

There were 40 crashes involving a car and a cyclist in Rockland County in 2018, according to the Rockland Bicycling Club.

"Cycling/car accidents have been on the increase at the same time that accidents and collisions have gotten safer for people in cars," Hays said.

Carlucci called the new path "a game-changer."

"The future tells us cycling increasingly is on the rise, it's here to stay, it's an important mode of transportation," he said. "We in Orangetown and Rockland County recognize that the future of mobility is larger than cars. If we're going to do something about climate change, getting people off the road, it's more than just public transportation."

Orangetown's highway department oversaw the contractor and connected the bypass, which runs along the edge of Blauvelt State Park.

Read more on this topic:

ORANGETOWN TO CYCLISTS: Get in line or pay a fine

REACTION: Cycling groups call Orangetown's single file law unenforceable

BICYCLE SAFETY: Despite deaths, efforts stalled

BYPASS PLAN: Orangetown plans bypass for cyclists

PROPOSAL: Orangetown plans shortcut for cyclists near Route 303

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