Trail is being developed by the Greenway as part of the Empire Trail. The Albany Hudson Electric Trail is the missing link that connects the Heldeberg-Hudson Rail Trail & Harlem Valley Rail Trail, as part of the larger Empire State Trail. This is the page for those who love, support and advocate for the AHET. Official websites for the owner/operator of the AHET is https://hudsongreenway
.ny.gov/albany-hudson-electric-trail and https://empiretrail.ny.gov/ , which is where โofficialโ inquiries should be directed.The AHET is a paved/stone dust bike & pedestrian path that runs parallel to Columbia Turnpike. The National Grid Power lines provide right of way possibilities for much (but not all) of the trail. Up to date trail maps, including pavement type and nearby amenities can be found at empire trail.ny.gov. The AHET is a 15-mile connector from downtown Rensselaer to downtown Hudson. The trail has connects 3 town parks, 10 schools, 15 churches, 10 Banks, over 100 local businesses and over 1,000 community residents. The history of the right of way as an electric trolley line, transmission line, and land development scheme can be found at https://www.renstrust.org/images/partner_trails/The%20Albany%20Southern%20Electric%20Railroad.pptx. Getting this trail built was an immense project that required the help, input and approval of many people from all parts of the community and state. The NYS Greenway is the operator of the AHET and the holder of the majority of the land access agreements. They contract with adjoining municipalities and nonprofit organizations (primarily the Columbia County Friends of the AHET and the Rensselaer Land Trust) for maintenance, coordination of volunteer activities, and other programming. There is an ongoing need for trail amenities and improvements. The AHET will make the city of Albany & Troy both more accessible to Southern Rensselaer County via enhanced trail system connections, such as to the Heldeberg-Hudson Trail segment from Albany to Delmar. Please also check out the progress of the successful Harlem Valley Rail Trail, connecting Columbia County with the rest of the Hudson River Valley by bike! website - http://hvrt.org/There are many significant benefits to the community including culture, economic improvement, and walkability. We are moving towards a cleaner, greener, atmosphere and town. This is will give kids a family a new reason to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. This path has many possibilities including town-wide hop scotch, sidewalk chalk murals, 5k charity races, historic reenactment and other art installations along the way.