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The New York State Department of Transportation allocated $97.7 million to fund “environmentally friendly” transportation initiatives across the state, including $7.9 million for projects in central New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday.

This funding, made available through the United States Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives Program, is designated for more than 30 New York communities, Hochul said. Around $7 million will go to improvements in the city of Syracuse, including improvements to sidewalks near the city’s Inner Harbor and construction projects on the West Side Trail.

TAP delivers federally-funded grants for smaller-scale transportation projects across the country — such as those aiming to construct pathways for pedestrians, increase accessibility of transportation and make other “community improvements,” according to its website. TAP funds are made available through the FHA and are monitored by their respective states.

“Since my first day in office, I have invested in expanding multi-modal travel options for New Yorkers across the State,” Hochul said in Thursday’s release. “By giving communities the tools they need to expand alternative modes of travel, we are helping to reduce emissions while creating a healthier and more vibrant transportation system that benefits all New Yorkers.”

Hochul’s investment aims to increase the accessibility of transportation in New York and combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to the release. A majority of the funds will go to improving infrastructure, promoting pedestrian and bicycle safety and encouraging non-motorized transportation.

$3.1 million will go to sidewalk improvements in Syracuse’s Inner Harbor area. The new sidewalk improvements will serve to make the area more walkable and attract more visitors, according to the release. Onondaga County began building an $85 million aquarium in the Inner Harbor late last year, beginning with a $1 million contract to prep vacant land for the construction, syracuse.com reported.

“The $7.9 million invested in Central New York by the Governor’s office will help create more walkable and bikeable communities, while also addressing repairs needed on those roads,” State Assemblymember William Magnarelli, who represents Syracuse, said in the release.

The second project, a $3.94 million investment into the city’s West Side Trail, will involve the construction of a “physical separated shared use path” with lanes for different transportation modes along Onondaga Lake.

In December 2022, the city of Syracuse began collecting feedback for a proposed revamp to the area surrounding Onondaga Lake, including the Inner Harbor, as part of the state’s ongoing Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. As of January of this year, the 12 projects within these efforts totaled over $108 million, syracuse.com reported.

Thursday’s announcement marks the latest contribution to improving the infrastructure surrounding Onondaga Lake. There is not a publicly available timeline for the TAP projects’ completion yet.

Published on June 20, 2024 at 11:44 pm