ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — The ride is smooth until it suddenly isn't.
For miles, the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail winds through quiet woods, beneath a canopy of trees and past remnants of a railroad that shaped Western New York more than a century ago.
Then the smooth ride ends.
It's an abrupt reminder that one of the region's most ambitious trail projects remains unfinished.
WATCH: Volunteers push to complete 27-mile Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail after decades of work
The Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail stretches 27 miles from Orchard Park to Springville, following the former Buffalo and Erie Railroad corridor.
More than two decades after work began to transform the rail line into a multiuse trail, only about half of the route has been completed.
Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail President Mary Brummer has spent years helping move the project forward, working alongside volunteers who envision a continuous trail connecting communities across the Southtowns.
"These trails are meant not only for recreation, but to become an active transportation corridor," Brummer said. "People should eventually be able to use this to get from place to place without a vehicle."
Completing this will require millions of dollars in additional funding, something the nonprofit continues to pursue through grants, fundraising and community support.
Volunteers say the trail is about more than walking or biking. It's about preserving history while creating something future generations can use every day.
Brummer believes the finished trail will do something increasingly rare: bring people together.
"Connecting with other people face to face rather than on a screen is so healthy," she said. "Anything we can do to facilitate that is a worthy goal."
Supporters will have another chance to help move the project forward this fall.
The Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail's annual charity bike ride, held each October, raises money for the trail as volunteers continue working toward their goal of connecting all 27 miles.
