A proposal to create a bike path connecting the Bronx to Westchester in Van Cortlandt Park won approval by Community Board 7’s Parks Committee, beating out environmentalists who objected to disruptions in the park’s ecology.

The decision could end years of starts and stops for the project, which involved several revisions by the New York City Parks Department, which proposed the bike path.

The meeting also offered CB7 members to meet their counterparts at Community Board 8, which voted for the proposed 1.25-mile bike path the day before. Arriving at the meeting were proponents of the bike path boosting the health and safety benefits of a bike path, and environmentalists worried about the natural landscape’s erosion.

Considered a missing link between the Bronx and 40 additional miles of bike trails beginning at the Westchester County line, the path would be 14’ wide with a two-foot buffer in between. The path, which the New York City Department of Parks would be unlit and remain open at night, would be constructed at the historic Old Putnam Trail using $2.5 million in federal monies. Up until the 1980s, the trail served the New York Central railroad line.

Though the boards jointly cover Van Cortlandt Park, members from CB7 will likely echo CB8 when the full board votes on the proposal next week. In proposals that involve shared space, Boards typically defer its decision to the Board whose district geographically dominates that communal area. Community Board 12, which also covers the park, abstained from any input.

The Parks Department needs approvals from impacted community boards before receiving its permits from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Should approvals be met, it would take a year to complete the path.