For Immediate Release:
10/02/19
Contact:
Steven Gosset
| Steven.Gosset@nypa.gov
Media Relations | (914) 390-8192
CANAL TRUSTEES APPROVE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO ERIE CANALWAY TRAIL SEGMENTS
Projects Will Fill Crucial Gaps to Help Complete Governor Cuomo’s Empire State Trail
WHITE PLAINS—The New York State Canal Corporation board of trustees has approved two projects that will fill in crucial gaps for the Erie Canalway Trail in the Mohawk Valley and help complete Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s sprawling Empire State Trail network.
The first segment will run 3.7 miles from Utica to Dyke Road in the Town of Schuyler in Herkimer County, while the second project runs 1.2 miles from the town of Frankfort to the marina in the Village of Ilion, both in Herkimer County. Both projects are scheduled to be completed by late 2020.
The Erie Canalway Trail will be part of Governor Cuomo’s 750-mile Empire State Trail, which will be the nation’s largest state network of multi-use trails. It will run from Albany to Buffalo on the 360-mile Canalway Trail and from New York City to the Canadian border through the Hudson Valley and Adirondacks, while also connecting to existing hiking and bike trails. After its completion next year, the Empire State Trail is expected to attract 8.6 million visitors annually.
“The Erie Canalway Trail is already more than 85 percent complete, and we’re excited that these projects will soon move that number higher,” said Brian U. Stratton, Canal Corporation director. “Increasing trail access will be a boon to the Mohawk Valley, as more people discover the beauty, serenity and heritage of the Canalway Trail.”
Preliminary construction has already begun on the projects approved by the trustees, to help ensure they are ready for the Empire State Trail’s opening. The Utica project, which will cost $8.3 million, was awarded to CCI Companies, Inc. of Canastota. The $4.3 million Frankfort project was awarded to Carver Construction, Inc. of Altamont. The contractors were approved following a competitive bid process.
Both projects will include building a 10-foot-wide asphalt path, clearing trees and stumps, building railing and drainage structures and a pedestrian bridge, along with the installation of picnic benches and bike racks.
About the New York State Canal Corporation
New York’s canal system includes four historic canals: the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca. Spanning 524 miles, the waterway links the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain. The canals form the backbone of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and connect hundreds of unique and historic communities. In 2019, New York will mark the 200th anniversary of the first trip taken on the Erie Canal, from Rome to Utica.
Like Canals on Facebook at NYS Canal Corporation.
Follow Canals on Twitter at @NYSCanalCorp