One major link in the region's trail system just got a lot closer to reality.

On Monday, Mayor Bob Duffy announced $2.2 million in grants to build a trail in a former railway right-of-way in northeast Rochester. The trail runs southward from Seneca Park to a point on St. Paul Street south of Clifford Avenue. Plans for it have been in the works for a while (see "Rail to Trail," March 15). But there've been plenty of obstacles, not the least of which is money to build it.

That money has now materialized, mainly in the form of a $2 million federal transportation grant. New York State and Kodak also pitched in, with $50,000 and $150,000, respectively. And the city is ponying up $395,000 to buy the land from CSX, which has owned the right-of-way.

The trail will provide green space and a recreation opportunity in an area of the city with less access to parkland than many neighborhoods. And with recent improvements to trails in the lower Genesee Gorge and a planned connection across the river at the Middle Falls, people will be able to travel nearly all the way through the city on trails --- and connect with a larger trail network that includes the Erie Canal Trailway and the Genesee Valley Greenway.