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Report
Cites Additional Progress in
“Closing
the Gaps” in Erie Canalway Trail
Updated
Interactive Map – Optimized for Mobile Devices – Makes it Easier to Plan
Erie Canalway Trail Cycling Trips
Albany,
NY – March 2014 / Newsmaker Alert / Parks
& Trails New York (PTNY) and the Canalway
Trails Association New York (CTANY) have released their fourth annual
report, Closing the Gaps: A Progress Report on the Erie Canalway Trail
2013. PTNY and CTANY note that 2013 was a year of many accomplishments
in efforts to close the remaining 83 miles of gaps in the 360-mile trail
that extends from Buffalo to Albany:
-
Seven
miles of trail were constructed, six miles between Newark and Lyons in
Wayne County and one mile in the City of Little Falls.
-
Construction
will begin on 14 miles of trail in 2014. The most significant project will
be the eight-mile gap between Amherst and Lockport, which, when complete,
will result in more than 134 miles of continuous off-road trail in western
New York.
-
The Syracuse
Metropolitan Transportation Council completed the Erie Canalway Trail
- Syracuse Connector Route Project Part One on behalf of the City of
Syracuse. A preferred route with suggested on-road bike treatments and
pedestrian options was prepared based on extensive public input and examination
of existing routes.
Since
PTNY and CTANY launched their “Closing the Gaps Campaign” in 2010 in conjunction
with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, interest in completing the Erie Canalway
Trail among citizens, community leaders, and local, state and federal government
officials has reached an all-time high.
“We
are encouraged by the accomplishments in 2013 and the trail construction
work scheduled to begin in 2014. Especially inspiring is the heightened
awareness among community leaders of the tourism and economic benefits
derived from the Erie Canalway Trail,” said Nelson Ronsvalle, CTANY president.
Focus
for 2014
Additional
progress in closing the gaps will result from the efforts of local Canalway
Trail communities, the Regional Economic Development Councils, the NYS
Department of Transportation, and the NYS Canal Corporation working together
to address specific needs and challenges in discrete trail segments. CTANY
and PTNY will continue to support and promote those efforts and emphasize
the importance of the Canalway Trail to tourism, local economies, and the
health and the quality of life of Canalway Trail-community residents.
“The
Erie Canalway Trail is without parallel in scenery, history, and charm
but it can’t reach its full potential of being an international tourism
draw until it is complete,” said PTNY Executive Director Robin Dropkin.
“Where funding is in some cases the only impediment to closing a gap, we
urge local governments and the NYS Canal Corporation to take advantage
of the $50 million in available Transportation Alternatives funding to
initiate projects that will further efforts to “Close the Gaps.”
Canal
Corporation Director, Brian U. Stratton said, “Governor Cuomo recognizes
the strategic importance of the Erie Canal and Erie Canalway Trail as economic
engines for upstate New York. Over 15 miles of Erie Canalway Trail will
be constructed by the Canal Corporation in 2014 in Monroe and Oneida Counties,
demonstrating the Governor’s commitment to achieving the full potential
of this important resource.”
Closing
the Gaps: A Progress Report on the Erie Canalway Trail 2013 is available
on the Parks & Trails New York website, www.ptny.org.
Parks
& Trails New York is the state’s leading advocate for parks and
trails, working since 1985 to expand, protect and promote a network of
parks, trails and open spaces throughout the state for use and enjoyment
by all. For more than 15 years PTNY has worked with the New York State
Canal Corporation, CTANY, and Canalway Trail communities to foster development
of the trail and oversee the Adopt-a-Trail Program. PTNY promotes the trail
through its annual 400-mile Cycling the Erie Canal bike tour, Bicyclists
Bring Business community roundtables and Canal Clean Sweep events and its
publications, Cycling the Erie Canal: A guide to 400 miles of adventure
and history along the Erie Canalway Trail and Bicyclists Bring Business:
A Guide for Attracting Bicyclists to New York’s Canal Communities.
For more information about Parks & Trails New York visit www.ptny.org,
connect to them on Facebook,
or follow them on Twitter.
The
Canalway
Trails Association New York is an all-volunteer organization that works
both statewide and locally with citizens, state agencies and municipalities
to develop the Erie Canalway Trail as a world-class multi-use recreational
trail and international bicycle tourism destination. In partnership with
the NYS Canal Corporation, PTNY and others, it encourages the proper maintenance
of the trail by coordinating the Adopt-a-Trail Program.
Media
Contact:
Frances
Gotcsik, 585-797-7098
Parks
& Trails New York |
