PTNY’s Advocacy Helps Secure Millions for Trails Across New York State

In January, thanks to much effort by Senator Chuck Schumer, the United States Department of Transportation announced that more than $207 million of expired earmarks would be available to New York State to spend on transportation projects. According to PTNY’s analysis, about $17 million of this unspent money previously went to bicycle and pedestrian projects.

PTNY, along with our statewide and local partners, advocated for a significant portion of the earmarks be repurposed to one of the many trail projects across the state held up solely because of a lack of funding. PTNY also created several resources, including an online interactive map, that communities and trail advocates could use to pair their trail project with an earmark eligible for repurposing.

This fall, the New York State Department of Transportation and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand announced that more than $14 million of these expired earmarks would be repurposed to the following trail projects in Rochester, Syracuse, and Long Island:

  • Onondaga Lake-to-NYS Fairgrounds Trail (Syracuse): this new lakefront trail located along the shores of Onondaga Lake will receive more than $5 million originally earmarked for road construction. Once completed, the Onondaga Lake-to-NYS Fairgrounds Trail will link to Greater Syracuse’s growing regional network of multi-use trails.
  • Onondaga Creekwalk Extension (Syracuse): more than $4 million of repurposed earmarks will be used to extend the spine of the City of Syracuse’s urban bicycling network by lengthening the Onondaga Creekwalk Trail 2.2 miles south from Armory Square in Downtown Syracuse to W. Colvin St. The Creekwalk already serves as a major connection for many residents to the on-road route of the Erie Canalway Trail between Camillus and Dewitt.
  • Interstate 390 Multi-Use Trail Extension (Greece and Rochester): this project will receive $2 million in funding to extend the trail south from Route 104 to the Erie Canalway Trail, establishing a connection to the state’s longest multi-use trail.
  • CliftonPk-Trail.jpgEastman Trail Ridgeway Segment (Rochester): $1.4 million will go towards creating the Eastman Trail’s Ridgeway Segment, which starts near the Interstate 390 Ridgeway Interchange and extends east to the City of Rochester. This, combined with the Interstate 390 Trail extension, will help create connections between regionally-significant employers, neighborhoods, and parks, playgrounds, and schools.
  • Hempstead Harbor Shoreline Trail (North Hempstead): approximately $700,000 of repurposed earmark funding will go towards extending this Long Island trail more than three-quarters of a mile. The extension will create links between beaches, parks, neighborhoods, and schools, while also serving as a buffer for Hempstead Harbor and adjacent wetlands.

On-road improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians also received hundreds of thousands of dollars in repurposed earmarks. These projects ranged from new sidewalks and bike lanes in suburban communities to crosswalk improvements in urban areas.

In addition to bringing new places to safely walk, bike, run, and skate to several communities across the state, this earmark repurposing helped state and federal transportation officials understand just how many miles of trail are ready to be built across the state. We commend the Federal and State Departments of Transportation and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for showing a renewed commitment to active transportation infrastructure.



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