CNY Peace Trail gets nearly $4M federal funding boost

Will help create bike-trail network across region

SYRACUSE — A $3.9 million federal grant will help the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB) develop a section of a biking and walking trail. It’s known as the Central New York Peace Trail and would connect to the Empire State Trail. The CNY Peace Trail is expected to cover 170 miles, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) recently announced. This $3.9 million will target plans for 57 miles across Onondaga, Madison, Cayuga, and Oswego counties with a focus on connecting 34 “Areas of Persistent Poverty” and 39 “Historically Disadvantaged and Tribal” census tracts, the lawmakers said. The proposed trail will connect rural villages and small towns to major transportation hubs and urban employment centers. The effort seeks to turn the Upstate region into a “world-class bike touring destination,” per the senators’ announcement. With the funding, the CNY RPDB plans to implement safe street upgrades in addition to the bicycle-touring corridors. “I am very pleased to receive news today that the U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding the CNY RPDB a grant of $3.9 million through the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program,” David Bottar, executive director of the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, said in the announcement. “These funds will be used by the agency to complete local planning and detailed engineering plans for major elements of a 170-mile bicycle network across scenic rural areas in the five-county region in Central New York. As a regional organization, we are very pleased to receive this news and thank Senator Schumer and all our federal representatives for their efforts to support local efforts to make improvements to our region’s transportation infrastructure, particularly those improvements that will support a range of community initiatives across the region,”. This network will reach busy areas including the Syracuse-Hancock International Airport, Syracuse Regional Transportation Center, and Central New York Regional Transportation Hub and rural villages and small towns. In addition, the trail will reach rural landscapes with farm fields, historic American architecture, forests, glacial lakes, rivers, streams, and waterfalls. “Bike paths and trails are a magnet for tourism and help keep our community healthy and connected. This will boost local economies from Oswego to Auburn, connect rural villages to major transportation hubs, and make Upstate NY’s beautiful natural landscapes more accessible to all. I’ll continue fighting to deliver resources to keep Upstate NY connected and ensure everyone can ride their bikes safely in Central NY and across Upstate NY,” Schumer said.